Australian teenagers have welcomed digital technologies into their daily lives with open arms. As one Year 12 girl said of her mobile phone, “I just like having it with me”. But the thirst for technology consumption does not translate into an interest in pursuing technology as a career. This desire to consume, yet not to create, should come as no surprise to us. As citizens of a developed country, we enjoy a range of high quality services in such areas as health and education; and a feast of consumer goods and services. But that does not mean that we all want to become doctors, teachers, fashion designers or plumbers. Yet the need to encourage more young people to take up careers in Information and Communication Technology is real; it is in fact, a question of Australian national interest. Sustaining and increasing productivity in modern economies largely depends on the application of new technology, and current and projected labour force figures suggest we do not have sufficient graduates entering ICT jobs. This study was commissioned by the Australian Computer Society, with the purpose of generating detailed primary evidence about high school student use of ICT, perceptions of use of ICT at school, perceptions of ICT as a discipline, and motivations regarding career choices. The project involved a research study with 202 subjects aged 12-18 years at high schools in the Australian Capital Territory. A purpose-designed survey, and semistructured interviews, yielded both quantitative and qualitative data to inform our understanding of ICT use; ICT in schools; and ICT as a field of study. In a stratified random sampling method, schools that represented government and non-government sectors; students ages 12-18 years; female and male; and Low, Medium and High ICSEA (a measure of school socio-economic advantage) ranks were approached for
participation in the study.
