ST BRENDAN’S COLLEGE IS LEADING INNOVATION TO CHANGE THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

St Brendan’s College is honoured and excited to be a Foundation School Member of the Gateway to Industry Schools program: Information and Communication Technology. The College is one of only five Foundation schools in Queensland, and the only one in the Central region. The program enables the College to partner with industry in Information, and Communication Technology (ICT) to inform the delivery of education and future skills of graduates.

By partnering with industry, the College is providing young men with direct pathways to employment and or further learning. The benefits of St Brendan’s College and Industry partnerships will allow the next generation to drive and influence our regional economy through the fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Gateway to Industry Schools program is a key industry engagement strategy for the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT). The department's vision for all Queenslanders to have the skills and opportunities to participate and prosper in the modern economy is strengthened through programs and experiences provided through the Gateway to Industry Schools program (GISP).

The ICT GISP enables partnerships between schools and industry to provide experiential learning for young people, so that they may acquire the knowledge, skills and attributes to participate effectively in a modern, digital economy. The ICT industry and the education sectors can work together in partnership under the program, to deliver outcomes for schools, students and local communities.

St Brendan’s College has partnered with Livingstone Shire Council to provide experience, expertise, and mentorship in the use of technology in the workplace. Through future engagements, this partnership will support students by providing authentic workplace examples and experiences of the application of technology to drive collaboration, efficiency, improvement, and effective communication. Teachers will also benefit through working with Livingstone Shire Council and other industry experts to ensure the learning experiences delivered to students have a strong connection to industry application.

Head of Department - Information Technology at St Brendan’s College,  Miss Sheridan Simms said “working with Mr Willcocks and the ICT group at Livingstone Shire Council will give the students a chance to solve real world problems and then test their solutions in an industry environment. They will be able to access learnings and knowledge of ICT professionals across a wide range of areas. ICT is no longer just programming behind a computer screen and this partnership will give the boys a chance to experience many of the different aspects of an ICT based career”.  She is excited to see how this partnership will evolve.

Principal, Mr Robert Corboy, said the ‘College is excited by the opportunity to partner with one of the largest employers on the Capricorn Coast, the Livingstone Shire Council. The diversity of their operation and the experiences our students will be able to tap into is immeasurable.

The program is a wonderful initiative of the State Government that will allow our students to acquire knowledge, skills and attributes through real life industry experiences. The synergy between school and industry will assist our students in their career choices and pathways to employment.’

Head of Vocational Ediucation and Training, Mr Andrew Lawrence belives 'the access to up-to date and relevant Industry information regarding jobs and career pathways combined with the values and attitudes St Brendan’s develop in their young men, will be a powerful influence in future years contributing to change and success in industry direction and operations.’

On Wednesday 11 November, the Australian Computer Society’s ICT GISP Project Manager Matthew Jorgensen presented certificates to St Brendan’s College and Livingstone Shire Council, officially welcoming both parties into the Information and Communication Technology Gateway to Industry Schools program.