Future Creators Programme Provides Blueprint for Teaching of Digital Skills at Secondary Level

Apps that help you find the best curry in Ireland or tell you all you need to know about the boy-band One Direction are amongst the work produced by a group of teenagers from inner-city Dublin, who have just completed a pilot after-school programme aimed at improving their digital skills.

The programme – Future Creators – was developed by the learning team at the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) and delivered over the past academic year in collaboration with the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).  All participants were local teenagers from the Liberties area of Dublin, in which The Digital Hub and the NCAD are based.

Attending after-school sessions on a weekly basis, participants learned how to build and launch their own digital products and services.  The majority of the 20 participants chose to develop iPhone apps, with others opting for film, gaming, photography, audio and digital embroidery projects. Topics covered by the Future Creators programme included:
•    Editing digital photographs using programmes such as Pixlr and Adobe Photoshop.
•    Recording and editing podcasts using Audacity.
•    Publishing content online using WordPress blogs.
•    Developing iPhone apps using Xcode.
•    Planning, filming and editing short films using Comic Life and iMovie.

Speaking today (21.06.12) at a showcase of Future Creators work at the NCAD, 14-year-old Darragh Byrne – one of the programme participants – said: “I really enjoyed taking part in Future Creators.  We learned how to make apps, websites, short films and online games.  It was totally different to the type of stuff we learn at school.”

At today’s event, Dr. Stephen Brennan, Chief Strategy Officer at The Digital Hub, said Future Creators provided a blueprint for the teaching of digital skills.
“The model we developed has proven to be very successful and can provide useful insights for the Department of Education, which is examining how to incorporate Computer Science and digital tools into the secondary school syllabus,” he said.

“For Future Creators, students were invited to self-select for the programme: they applied based on their existing interest in digital.  Then they voluntarily attended weekly after-school classes, which were delivered in an informal environment, with an emphasis on students collaborating and figuring out new skills for themselves under the guidance of qualified tutors.

According to Dr. Brennan, the mainstreaming of programmes like Future Creators – and the integration of digital into the school syllabus – is vital to address skills shortages in Ireland’s ICT and digital industries. “As we all know, unemployment levels in Ireland are painfully high at present but, at the same time, the digital and ICT industries are struggling to find employees with the requisite skills.  Frequently, digital businesses recruit employees from outside Ireland because, at present, our education system is failing to produce candidates with expertise in areas such as coding, computer programming and app development. “

Commenting at today’s event, Professor Gary Granville, Head of Education at the NCAD, said: “An ‘added extra’ for programmes like Future Creators is that they encourage young people to consider third-level education and to pursue studies in areas in which they have a strong interest. “Historically in the Liberties, there have been low levels of educational attainment, with many local people not finishing secondary school, never mind going on to third level.  Working on projects such as Future Creators allows the NCAD to establish connections to potential future students and also to introduce local young people to the college – to give them a glimpse inside its walls, so to speak – so that they can see that third-level education isn’t intimidating, isn’t beyond their reach, and can offer them the chance to study and ultimately work at something which they really enjoy.”

A video featuring interviews with some of the participants is available to view at: http://youtu.be/tEavw9apjJE