A TECH firm in the region has teamed up with its local high school to help address the skills gap in the area.
Dalbeattie-based ETB Technologies is working with students at the town’s secondary to create a new programme giving youngsters an insight in IT careers.
ETB sells refurbished servers, storage, and network equipment globally and has always developed talent from the ground up. They hope the new partnership will encourage more local youngsters into a career in computing.
An ETB engineer regularly attends the school to deliver interactive sessions to S3 pupils. The programme started with a session on the key components of a server, the differences between a PC and a server, and how to strip and rebuild a computer.
Pupils will also get the chance to visit the firm’s engineering labs and workshops.
ETB’s managing director Nick Stapleton said: “It’s great Dalbeattie High School is actively trying to broaden the knowledge of its students and raise awareness of the range of career opportunities available in the IT hardware industry. We’d like to see more schools and colleges follow their lead.
“We expect to offer this programme annually to pupils interested in working in our sector, at Dalbeattie High and hopefully other schools or further education providers too. Perhaps some of these pupils will even end up as part of the ETB team in the future.”
Ross Kennedy, physics and computing science teacher at Dalbeattie High, explained that while the school has worked with local employers for many years to develop pupils’ understanding of industry sectors and career opportunities and boost their employability skills, it is the first time they have teamed up with an IT company.
He said: “It has been great to get ETB on board and develop a course that’s delivered in the context of a real-life local business. Increasing pupil awareness of the range of careers that are available to them on their doorstep is vital, and incorporating this into lessons is an excellent way of preparing pupils for learning, life and work.
“So far, the pupils are really engaging with the programme and are particularly enjoying the practical side of the course.”
Pupil Ewan Richardson added: “I really enjoyed learning about a server and the different components inside it. It was interesting to see how it’s similar to the PC I built in class.
“I’m now thinking about a career in computing when I leave school.”
