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ACS Foundation

ACS staff, Information Age

18/10/2006 22:10:01

When the ACS established the ACS Foundation back in August 2001, it stated its intention to improve access to ICT education and strengthen the ICT industry by offering scholarships and educational grants to deserving and disadvantaged students.

Five years on, the Foundation has awarded close to 600 scholarships, making an ICT university education more accessible to hundreds of high performing students as well as many who were disadvantaged by geography, disability or other influencing factors. ` The ACS Foundation's rapid growth exceeded expectations right from the start.

"We launched the Foundation with the initial goal of awarding 10 scholarships during our first full year of operation, but it quickly became clear that we had set our sights way too low," said the Foundation's Executive Director, John Ridge.

In fact, the Foundation distributed five times that number and then doubled it the following year, establishing its position as the leading provider of ICT scholarships in the country.

He was ACS National President when the ACS Foundation was established and a driving force behind its conception and introduction. He was assisted in its establishment by strong contributions from the ACS CEO, Dennis Furini, the current President, Philip Argy, and support from Compuware and its then Vice President, John Debrincat.

He says the Foundation's success has been due to the strong support received from government and business sponsors, as well as from the tertiary education sector.

In each of the past few years, the ACS Foundation has attracted over $2 million in funding for ICT scholarships, which it distributes to students all around Australia.

"The ACS Foundation is delighted to be able to support so many students in achieving their aspirations for an ICT career," Ridge said.

"We've also led the way in developing new programs that respond to the needs of both students and employers. Our Work Integrated Learning scholarships, introduced in 2005, combine a three-year degree with up to a year of industry-based work experience with a sponsoring donor.

"Not only does this approach address the need for relevant, practical experience, but it also provides students with valuable industry contacts to help them land that all-important first job on graduation," he said.

The other main scholarship program offered by the ACS Foundation is its Grow a Graduate program, which attracts and assists graduates in developing their specialist areas of study so they can meet identified needs within the ICT sector.

To facilitate its efforts in providing national coverage for ICT scholarships, the ACS Foundation has established separate chapters in Western Australia, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and in the Northern Territory. Chapters in the other states will be established in the coming years. "These initiatives have enabled us to provide more focused attention on the opportunities available in these regions, building close relationships with the State and Territory Governments, local universities and business community," he said.

The WA Chapter, established in 2002, enjoys the patronage of the WA Minister for IT, Francis Logan, and has awarded over 50 scholarships in the past three years alone.

Chairman of the WA Chapter, Jim Ellis, said the four major universities and the WA Government have joined forces to fund a part-time administrative position for the next five years, which will enable the Foundation to increase its activities in the region.

"This commitment by the universities and WA Government really recognises the importance of the ACS Foundation and the important role it plays in creating a bridge between the education sector, government and the industry," Ellis said.

"It will give us a much stronger local presence and enable us to build closer relationships with our donors."

While many of the Foundation's scholarships seek to attract the brightest and most academically gifted students into ICT, a significant percentage encourage disadvantaged students, those in regional areas or women to consider ICT careers.

"The Foundation awarded its first scholarship to an indigenous student last year, which was a very satisfying development," Ridge says, "and we look forward to supporting many more indigenous students to study ICT in coming years."

The downturn in popularity of ICT courses amongst tertiary students has sparked strong growth in the Work Integrated Learning scholarship program, as employers compete for the best graduates.

This has created exciting new opportunities for the ACS Foundation to offer more of these scholarships, partnering with some of the industry's most prominent employers to enable more students to graduate with practical and relevant work experience, easing their entry into the workforce.

"This is just the beginning; we're very pleased with the way the ACS Foundation has met and exceeded our goals over the past five years and are excited about its potential to play an increasingly significant role into the future."