Next Up goes live in spring 2014 - help more young people discover they are IT talents!

Next Up, our bold project to bridge the gap between the IT industry and secondary school pupils, is now underway for spring 2014. Through a fun and exciting competition, integrated into the curriculum, it aims to ensure that all young people - including girls across the board - realize what they didn't realize: that they are budding digital talents.

Over the past spring, the IT Skills Council has been exploring the interest of both member companies (whose active involvement is needed) and secondary schools to encourage engagement. It IS bold - what points of contact can the industry, which ideally wants already experienced IT engineers, find with eighth graders? At the same time, there is a growing realization that it is already in secondary school that many young people, and almost all girls, are opting out of an IT future, and that something needs to be done about this.

Building young people's confidence in the future has become very topical lately, so that in itself should be enough to get involved in Next Up. However, we have an exciting spice for those who want to see a greater added value of putting resources into the project: We engage ambitious female IT students from the Datatjej network to act as team leaders for the eighth graders. Female role models for the students = win no. 1, obvious recruitment targets for keen member companies = win no. 2.

On Monday, June 17, we invite principals and teachers from all over the Stockholm region to an information meeting about the project, which will thus be implemented in a pilot version in the said region next spring. All of you who have any contact with secondary schools in the region - make sure they are involved!