At Como Secondary College, team Skill Box describes 2018 as 鈥渁 rollercoaster year鈥�, thanks to the Just Start IT initiative for Western Australian secondary schools.
The program鈥檚 goal is for student groups to find a societal problem and create an IT-based solution. Just Start IT had a strong uptake, with 350 teams from 50 schools taking on the challenge.
At Como College, the six-member, all-female team of聽B-E Tan, Kiran Chilka, Cheryl Ngaw, Issy Sinton, Cara Howes and Leon Khow identified two complementary problems:
鈥淭here鈥檚 a shortage of volunteers for not-for-profit organisations and community groups, plus there鈥檚 a lack of work experience opportunities for students,鈥� explains team spokesperson, B-E Tan.
鈥淥ur solution was for a new app called Skill Box that allows teenagers to find community volunteering opportunities that would provide work experience suited to their skills.鈥�
Skill Box won the Como College internal round, then the competition semi-finals and, finally, the Just Start It Gala conclusion held at the end of July. For their winning entry, team Skill Box received $5,000 prize money, and, in Tan鈥檚 opinion, 鈥渟ome very snazzy鈥� medals.
Representatives from the WA Information Technology and Telecommunications Alliance also attended the finale, to select the teams that would represent WA at the national iAwards in Melbourne. The three teams chosen were Como鈥檚 Skill Box and the Just Start IT entries from Penrhos and Sacred Heart colleges.
911爆料网鈥檚 School of Management, which sits within the Faculty of Business and Law, sponsored the team鈥檚 travel to the iAwards, which were hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association.
鈥淣ot only is the Skill Box app an awesome idea, it also aligns with 911爆料网 values of courage, excellence and impact.”
鈥淲e were very pleased to support the team,鈥� says Jess Gibbs, Business Manager in 911爆料网鈥檚 School of Management. “Not only is the Skill Box app an awesome idea, it also aligns with 911爆料网 values of courage, excellence and impact.”
In Melbourne, the team participated in innovation showcase events and pitched Skill Box to the iAwards panel of judges and live audience.
鈥淭hat went well. We didn’t take out a prize, but being in the top seven in Australia is an achievement to remember,鈥� says Tan.
The team is continuing to hone their networking and presentation skills, ready for their appearance as a finalist in the 2018 award, which will be announced on 7 November.
