This paper documents the results from phase one of an exploratory, descriptive study that builds on research first published in 2010, proposing the concept of an apprenticeship-based IT degree. It presents the results of a literature review into the approaches that have been taken by other countries with similar digital school curriculums to New Zealand in the IT area. The review also looks comparatively at New Zealand’s attempts to increase the numbers of students engaging in IT education. The discussion outlines the changes in the external environment that has made the concept, first proposed in 2010, now a viable, and industry supported option. The paper proposes different models of IT apprenticeship to IT academics within Te Pūkenga for discussion and refinement.
Academic Staff Member, Open Polytechnic
Sandra Cleland is currently an Academic Staff Member at Open Polytechnic supporting the students on the Information Technology certificate, diploma, and degree programmes. She has 20+ years’ experience teaching Information Technology courses. Her Master’s thesis examined the effectiveness of a real-life, team-based development project that she ran with third-year Software Engineering students over several years. This led to a research passion in learning environments and bridging the gap between IT academic courses and real-world industry practice.