The National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) has recently introduced an initiative called, ‘Inspiring all Australians in digital literacy and STEM’ to increase the participation of all students and the wider community in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to improve their digital literacy. The focus of the program is to tackle the digital divide and prevent students from falling behind in the digital age. The initiative is funded by the Department of Education and Training and totals $64.6 million.

Services offered by the funding are upskilling both our teachers and students, facilitating partnerships with the industries, early learning initiatives and providing Digital Literacy School Grants. There will also be a focus on brokering partnerships with women currently working in STEM to discourage any stigma that STEM is a male-dominated industry.

DigIT, a computer science summer school for up to 60 Year 9 and 10 students, was held for the first time in 2017. This annual program provides intensive camps and mentoring to engage students in digital technologies and related careers.

For full details regarding the initiative, you can look at the National Innovation and Science Agenda’s website via the link below.

http://innovation.gov.au/