Christchurch is to get a new computing school for seventh formers.
The Christchurch College of Computing will open its doors to computer-minded senior students in February, says Canterbury Development Corporation education strategy manager Graeme Plummer.
Plummer, a former principal, says the central-city facility will be the best-equipped IT education facility in the country and an ideal way to pool resources.
"We really want to break the mould of traditional IT education," he says. Schools can't keep up with technology developments and don't have the resources, he says.
The publicly-funded college will in February draw 80 students from 20 of Christchurch’s high schools, who will still be officially enrolled at their old high school and whose results will stay with their home schools, Plummer says.
Entry criteria will be based on sixth form certificate results and interest in computing. A director and an advisory committee with representatives from Christchurch’s high schools will be appointed as well as full-time teachers and visiting speakers from the IT industry, Plummer says.
Several industry players have donated equipment to the school, including Hewlett-Packard, Renaissance and Right Hemisphere.