Ipswich children are being given an opportunity to learn how to build a Virtual Reality headset and pitch a business idea, all in two hours.
Ipswich City Council has partnered with Fiftysix Creations to deliver a series of free 2-hour workshops teaching young people about computer science and entrepreneurship.
The mastermind behind the idea is Logan’s Taj Pabari.
He is also 2017 Young Queenslander of the Year and created his company when he was only 14.
Taj describes his build-it-yourself VR headsets and tables as “Lego of the 21st century.”
Taj is an entrepreneur and educational pioneer with a vision to change the world by showing children not to just be passive consumers, but active users of technology.
Taj’s passion for inspiring children in today’s emerging 21st Century Digital Economy, extends to all students both privileged and underprivileged.
“Our missions is to give every single young person, regardless of their postcode or demographic, a chance to understand they have the power to change the world.
“I fully support the idea of the Ipswich Smart City Initiative and exposing young people under the age of 16 to the digital and innovation economy is vital for success.
Taj wants to help young people understand that enterprising skills are fundamental for growth and development in our innovation economy.
“At some stage of your child’s life they will either work for a business, buy from a business or even create their own business. Just this fact alone highlights the importance of learning essential fundamental business skills from a young age.
“Instead of preparing our young people for specific jobs that may, or may not exist in the future, we should be equipping our young people with skills that will always be required for success, skills that are timeless and cannot easily be replicated by machines.”
Taj believes things like creativity, communication, goal setting, team building and financial literacy are the key to a good foundation for future employability.
Economic Development and Digital City Committee chairman Cr Paul Tully believes technology based industries will hold the jobs of the future.
“By teaming Fiftysix with Fire Station 101, we are bringing people together to ignite new ideas and the earlier in life you have the opportunity to learn about innovation the better.”
The workshops will be held at Fire Station 101 on Tuesday January 9 and Saturday January 13. Tuesday January 9 was fully subscribed in less than a day. Registrations for the second round of events on January 13 opened yesterday. Register here.
