USI urges Govt to boost interest in computer courses

The Union of Students in Ireland has called for computer courses in Irish colleges to be made more attractive to Leaving Cert students.

The call follows employers' concerns about the declining number of students studying computer and electronic courses.

The information technology sector was worth more than €30bn to the Irish economy last year, but third-level institutions are unable to fill places on IT-related courses due to lack of interest from students.

The USI said Education Minister Noel Dempsey should put measures in place at second-level to boost interest in such courses.