IT and computing

Choose a career pathway in IT and computing

Around 1.5 million people work in IT and computing in the UK - creating, installing, operating and supporting IT systems, essential to ensure businesses run efficiently. 

Many IT companies are based in the Thames Valley. Opportunities are available in areas such as social and digital media, security and data protection, game design, website development and cloud technologies. 

With our IT and computing career pathway, you will gain invaluable industry experience. For example, you will have the opportunity to gain experience in programming VEX robots and to build an understanding of different operating systems and the solutions for a range of issues. 

What is a career pathway?

A career pathway is a series of building blocks that will take you to your future career. Our career pathway maps will show you the best routes through college, higher education and employment and into the most popular industry sectors.

Our aim is to offer every learner a direct line of sight to employment. This means that we will equip you with the skills, attributes and knowledge that future employers want, giving you a greater chance to succeed.

What could my future job look like? 

Here are some examples of the tasks that you may be carrying out:

• Helpdesk operator: help staff at your company or a client's company solve their hardware or software issues .
• Business analyst, IT: work closely with managers to improve an organisation's effectiveness, focusing on its hardware, software and IT services.
• Senior IT manager: manage an organisation's IT policies, projects and any IT supply chain issues.
• Director of IT operations: manage IT operations for a company, making recommendations for improving its IT processes, security and network systems.

Industry partnerships

Our ICT students gain employability skills and industry insights through working in projects set by external mentors, employer visits and masterclasses. Examples include programming VEX robots and inspiring school children to use Raspberry Pi computers, Scratch programming and Lego Mindstorm.

Through employer visits and projects set by external mentors, you will gain industry insights that will help set you apart from the competition.