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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Michelle Reardon |
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Thursday, March 30, 2000 |
302/577-8701 |
TECH SUMMIT 2000Hosted by the Wilmington Enterprise Community & The Partnership, Inc. (Delaware State Chamber of Commerce) |
Northern Delaware Ninth Graders Learn About Technology Jobs at First-Of-Its-Kind Education Summit |
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Wilmington, DE - Nearly 3,000 9th grade students from northern Delaware public, private and parochial schools joined Governor Thomas R. Carper, City of Wilmington Mayor James H. Sills, Jr. and Suzanne Moore, President of the State Chamber of Commerce during the first of a two-day conference designed to educate and excite students about careers in technology. Governor Carper said, "The students who visit Tech Summit are learning first-hand what Delaware's future is all about. Every career choice made by today's ninth graders will require they have the necessary technology know-how. That's why learning about technology is not just an elective anymore for these kids -- it's a necessity. I hope all of Delaware's students will soon visit the State's web site www.what'sIT.com, a site we've designed specifically to bring the latest in technology learning to all Delaware schools." Students in clusters of approximately 300 will begin their Tech Summit experience by viewing a 10-minute orientation movie, including preview footage from www.What'sIT.com, the Delaware Information Technology Initiative's new web site. Www.what'sit.com is designed to inform students, guidance counselors and teachers about the importance of computer education in Delaware schools. Next students will attend two workshops, which they have pre-selected out of ten possible workshop areas, based on their individual technology interests. Workshops include "So You Say You Want A Revolution, You Know, We All Really Want to Change Our Genes," a discussion about the genomic revolution presented by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, and "The Art of Computing," a presentation from Corporate Image and Aloysius, Butler & Clark about how careers in the arts have changed due to advances in computer technology. The students final stop will be at the Tech Summit exhibition hall, where over 40 companies will present interactive demonstrations of their wares, including real spacesuits from ILC Dover and careers in cardiovascular health care, presented by Christiana Care Health Services. Each group of 300 students will tour the Tech Summit for 2 ½ hours. Mayor Sills said, "The City of Wilmington is excited about Tech Summit 2000. It is an excellent opportunity to bring young people together with the world of technology. Exposing our youth early to career opportunities makes it more likely they will make informed choices about their education and their future careers. This is only the beginning - we are looking forward to having Tech Summit 2000 as an annual event!" "Tech Summit 2000 is a powerful example of the dynamic learning that can occur when we create partnerships between the private sector and our schools," said Suzanne Moore, President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. "The lessons learned at the Tech Summit by the students complement their classroom studies in two respects. First, the students experience the application of academic theory to real-world problems. Second, the students learn the variety of jobs and careers that exist in today's high-tech market, as well as the skills and academics needed to enter and be competitive in that market. Tech Summit 2000 complements Delaware businesses by promoting the development of a highly skilled, globally competitive labor market." Technology jobs are in growing demand in Delaware, and Tech Summit 2000 provides workshops and exhibits in the communications, information technology, life sciences, biotechnology, health care, space and aeronautics, manufacturing and other high tech fields. For a full listing of the Tech Summit 2000 workshop and exhibitor information, contact Michelle Reardon at 302.577.8701 or by pager: 302.474.0087. |
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