IT Careers Camp: An Early Intervention Strategy to Increase IS Enrollments

Abstract

This paper reports on a specific promotional initiative designed to spur enrollment in IT-related fields—an IT Careers Camp aimed at high school students. The camp was different from most prior computer camps in that it was not aimed at building skills such as programming or Web development. Rather, it was specifically designed to convince participants that (1) job prospects in the field are strong, and (2) IT/IS work is interesting and creative. To this end, the camp was designed in partnership with a number of corporations, and included as a central element a series of experiential opportunities for participants. Each day of the camp featured a visit to a corporation where the students took part in a hands-on activity that involved solving a business problem with IT. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations indicate that the camp was very successful in changing students' perceptions about the nature of IT work and the IT job market. We believe the camp can be a useful tool to create a pipeline of well-informed students interested in IT careers. We present here details of the design and execution of the camp in the hope that others may wish to replicate our efforts.