Maximising Computer Science Student Career Opportunity through ICT Industry Placements

Currently final-year students within the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Victoria University are required to undertake capstone subjects Professional Communications and Industry Projects which focus on the completion of industry projects. In order to help the final year students get job ready, career education has been integrated into both courses with the support of Student Career Services. Students benefit from the exposure to real-world job markets and understand the current ICT industry skill requirements and demands. The funding from Victorian Government, Australia for the ICT Industry Placement Scholarships has become a testcase for our approach. It is approved that a cross faculty collaborative teaching program have made significant contribution to improve the studentspsila employability skills and their life-long learning skills. In this paper, first background information about the ICT industry placements is given. Then the collaborative teaching approaches are described and outcome and impact of the placements are presented. Finally conclusion on the ICT Industry placements is addressed.

1. Introduction

It has been widely researched both in Australia and internationally, that University graduates need to be better prepared for the work place. Indeed this understanding has been acknowledged by Victoria University (VU) through one of the five VU Commitments: Learning in the Workplace and Community (LiWC) Policy [1]. In addition, the IT industry has identified the need for improved graduate skills in business development, project management, team building and marketing across the workforce [2], [3].