New Delhi : Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), in collaboration with the Co-op Academies Trust, is inviting students from eleven Co-op Academies across the North of England to design a digital solution that will help year nine pupils choose the right GCSEs, as part of its 2022 goIT Co-op Academy Challenge.
goIT is TCS’ flagship programme, which seeks to bridge the science, technology, maths and engineering (STEM) learning gap in schools, and has benefitted more than 130,000 students worldwide since 2009. The UK’s STEM skills gap is estimated to cost the economy £1.5 billion per year, according to a report by STEM Learning
Many teenagers find it stressful when it comes to selecting their GCSE choices, as the decision can determine their future education and career options. The 2022 goIT Co-op Academy Challenge provides Year 9 students the opportunity to design a prototype app which can support their peers’ educational choices.
Teams entering the Challenge will develop their app concepts before submitting a three-minute pitch video and deck to their teachers to judge. The top two shortlisted teams from each Co-op academy will have the unique opportunity to attend a full day goIT workshop event at Co-op’s Headquarters in Manchester in December, where they will present their solutions to a panel of expert judges and have a chance to win exclusive prizes and become the overall winner of the Challenge.
The Co-op Academies Trust, which supports students in schools across the North of England, was founded with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 at its core: ‘to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all’ through equitable quality education. TCS will provide each team in the Challenge with flexible learning models and materials within a safe innovation environment. The end goal is to improve students’ IT skills and build their confidence with technology, to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities’.
“The Co-op Academies Trust made the decision to collaborate with TCS so we can immerse our students in the digital world and show how technology can be used to make tangible change,” said Jo Sykes, Director of CEIAG, Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance at Co-op Academies Trust. “We know that the number of young girls choosing STEM subjects remains low, but the goIT challenge will stimulate the creativity of students from diverse backgrounds and support their learning by giving them a glimpse into a key employment sector. This aligns perfectly with our 2022 -25 Strategic Plan of ‘Co-operating for a fairer world for our communities.’
“TCS works with our customers and partners to help enable quality education for all young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Amit Kapur, Head, TCS UK and Ireland. “The TCS and Co-op Academy Trust goIT Challenge is designed to engage directly with young people and show them how digital innovation can be used to resolve some of the real-world problems we face as a society. This initiative is important, as it will help young people in the North of England to realise their potential and hopefully encourage them to pursue a STEM career.”
To see past goIT Monthly Challenge winning video pitches, please visit: https://tcsempowers.tcsapps.com/emea/goit-main/monthly-challenge
The goIT initiative is running alongside TCS’ UK&I 2022 Sustainathon, which invites university students to devise digital solutions to help businesses overcome their most urgent sustainability challenges. The Sustainathon is currently open for registrations.
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