e-skills UK will showcase its Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G) programme at the world's leading educational ICT event, BETT, from 11-14 January 2006. Launched nationally in June 2005, CC4G is an innovative programme available free of charge to DfES funded schools across England. CC4G is already delivering tangible educational benefits to schools, including the development of girls’ ICT and professional skills. Teachers report that these benefits extend across the curriculum. Of the schools involved in the pilot phase of CC4G, 100 percent feel that the girls’ IT confidence improved as a result of CC4G.
The CC4G clubs have been designed to encourage girls to rethink the view that technology can be boring and ‘just for boys’, by embedding ICT within activities based on their interests, including music, celebrity, media, design and fashion. Over 750 schools have registered for CC4G since the beginning of the new school year and e-skills UK aims to build on this success through its presence at BETT.
One of the key priorities for schools wanting to set up a club is that it is easy to organise. Jo Hirst, ICT coordinator and club facilitator at Deanery school in Wigan agrees:
“I’m a teacher, with other responsibilities, so CC4G had to be easy to set up and manage. Within two weeks of getting in touch with e-skills UK, we had our own club up and running without any problems.”
The CC4G stand at BETT will be situated upstairs at S28 and will give visitors the opportunity to experience CC4G for themselves with live demonstrations of the free courseware running throughout the four-day event. These demonstrations will illustrate how easy the programme is for busy teachers and school staff to run. The CC4G team will also be giving schools who register for CC4G at the event the chance to win prizes for their school through a daily prize draw.
The CC4G team will be on hand throughout the event to explain how membership of CC4G can help develop girls’ confidence, communication and teamwork skills, as well as their ICT capability.
“CC4G is an exciting and innovative programme that is developing the ICT skills of young girls across the country. Exhibiting at BETT gives us the opportunity to show schools just how much of a difference the programme can really make,” says Melody Hermon, Programme manager for CC4G at e-skills UK.
Schools interested in getting involved in CC4G can visit stand S28 at BETT 2006. Further information is also available from www.cc4g.net.
BETT 2006 is the world’s leading educational ICT event. The show is based in Olympia, London and takes place between 11th and 14th January 2006.
Notes to editors:
e-skills UK is a not-for profit, employer-led organisation, licensed by government as the Sector Skills Council for IT, Telecoms and Contact Centres.
e-skills UK is dedicated to the needs of business, improving competitiveness and productivity through action on skills. e-skills UK’s role is to bring together employers, educators and government, and unite them on a common, employer-lead agenda for action on skills.
Employers who wish to engage with CC4G can do so via an online service which matches what they can offer: volunteering time to help out, donating software or nominating potential schools, with what schools are looking for. Go to www.e-skills.com/exchange
CC4G is a national programme pioneered by SEEDA in the South East. e-skills UK acknowledges SEEDA’s financial support and role as founding partner.
