PROMOTING ICT CAREERS USING A MOBILE ICT CAREER APPLICATION

it is currently estimated that there are more than 70 000 vacancies for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) practitioners. One reason for the ICT skill shortage is that the number of ICT vacancies, over a range of career paths, outnumbers the number of ICT students graduating from tertiary education institutions. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that an insufficient number of secondary school scholars select ICT related studies as a career option. Scholars are generally unaware of the ICT career possibilities and employment opportunities available in the ICT industry. In order to address the challenge of knowledge about suitable ICT careers, a mobile application that provides information on ICT qualifications and ICT careers to scholars and students was developed. The native, single user mobile application assists scholars with the calculation of Admission Point Scores to determine if they qualify for specific ICT tertiary qualifications. It further provides information on ICT qualifications and careers in the ICT industry. The evaluation of the mobile application by scholars and students revealed that the majority of the scholars and students reacted positively to the functionality offered and the way in which the career guidance and information were presented. The application can be adapted and utilised in other countries to assist in creating ICT career awareness at school level