Because there is no other way: Swico is extending its commitment to ICT scouts/campus
Zurich – The three-year commitment to the Swico ICT Campus Zurich will expire at the end of 2022. The balance is mixed due to the corona pandemic, which hit the campus particularly hard. But the lack of commitment on the part of the education department for the program has also made it difficult to achieve the goals that have obviously been set. Despite this – or in the process of doing so – Swico is extending the strategic partnership with ICT Scouts/Campus.
More girls in STEM
The Swico ICT Campus was opened in January 2020 with a lot of pomp and celebrity. After Muttenz and Bern, it was the third campus of the ICT Scouts/Campus association and was intended to bring the unique model to Zurich as a business and digital location. In middle school classes, young people are systematically scouted who show particular talent for MINT (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology) thanks to their analytical thinking skills. With this, Swico wanted to make a contribution to combating the shortage of skilled workers in the MINT field and, above all, to make it easier for girls to access a corresponding apprenticeship. On average, ICT Scouts/Campus has an above-average quota of girls of 40%.
Due to the corona lockdown, the Swico campus was only closed two months later and, due to its location within the university, could only be reopened much later than the public school. Thanks to the untiring commitment of the association, creative online offers and repeated relocations, Saturday classes could be maintained, but the desired growth goals could not be fully achieved. Today, the Swico Campus has overcome its teething problems, but cannot be eliminated from Swico’s comprehensive support as planned.
Other cantons show more interest
After all, 105 scoutings were carried out at 38 schools in the last three years and 200 young talents were won for the campus. Given the circumstances, that’s a respectable record. But the campus remains underfunded. In contrast to other campuses, the Zurich Swico campus receives exclusive support from the canton. Repeated applications to the education department failed because the legal basis is said to be missing. At the same time, other cantons are demonstrating how the skilled labor campaign can succeed with political will, and are not only supporting their local campus with money, but also with access for scouting.
population expects more
This is in view of the fact that a representative population survey last year stated that more than half of the Swiss population considers the preparation for dealing with digital media and the preparation for future careers in elementary school to be insufficient. Three-quarters of all parents surveyed want coding lessons in schools, and digital education ranks third for the need to prevent development – just behind cyber security and combating digital violence. Even young people see training and further education offers in the field of digitization as weak, as the latest digital barometer shows. The fact that the proportion of girls in the relevant apprenticeships, among other things, is well below average can be interpreted as an indication of opportunities for development and as an incentive. This is considered with regard to their future professional development.
Privately bridge the gap
For Swico, the model of the ICT Scouts/Campus development association remains as target-oriented as it is convincing. Thanks to the scouting, potentially all school classes can be considered, and yet it is the case that the young talents have to show the individual potential for later transfer to a corresponding apprenticeship. In view of the growing importance of digitization in all job profiles and the expectations of the population regarding the preparation of our young people for the professional future, the economy has no choice but to close the open gap in public schools. Especially so as not to leave the girls behind when it comes to digital issues. (Swico/mc/ps)