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Sir John Cass's Foundation is giving £114K over three years to support the Professional Pathway (PP) project in the School of Informatics at City University.
The PP is a new form of apprenticeship in the IT industry, which started in October 2000 and has already secured support from government and employers. The aim is to make university education, with good career prospects after graduation, available to less affluent London youth.
Students on the programme take the first year of one of City's computing degree courses as conventional full-time students. Over the following three years they complete their degrees through part-time study on a day-release basis from relevant placement employment in the IT industry. An extranet connects participants to tutors and fellow students throughout the course.
The Reverend Brian Lee, chairman of Sir John Cass's Foundation grants committee, said: "The Foundation regard this as an important project and an innovative method of teaching."
The scheme helps to address a national skills shortage in IT and helps poorer students earn while they learn. The Higher Education Funding Council also contributed £197K toward the project's first two years under the Innovations Fund.
Further information can be found on the project database: http://spica.soi.city.ac.uk/Pathway/
© 2001
