The NSW Government is taking the lead in creating the next generation of tech leaders, entrepreneurs and experts with its release of the Computing Technologies curriculum.
The new curriculum, which is part of the government’s ongoing delivery of the most comprehensive Curriculum Reform in a generation, ensures students are prepared for future jobs in a fast-changing digital world.
“Students need to develop an understanding of essential computing skills to not only keep themselves safe in a digital world but also to thrive in the careers of the future,” Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said.
“These new syllabuses mean that right from the beginning of high school, students can learn fundamental skills in coding, cyber security and information systems for businesses.”
Minister Mitchell revealed that the curriculum has also been updated to better reflect the latest computing technologies and the expectations of industry, allowing the state to create the next generation of tech-savvy experts.
The new Enterprise Computing and Software Engineering syllabuses for Years 11 to 12 will also see secondary students sitting more HSC exams online in 2025.
“The NSW Government is bringing subjects and the HSC into the modern era with new syllabuses that align to our fast-changing digital world,” Minister Mitchell said.
“Modernising the HSC is essential if it is to remain a world-class qualification. While currently, only one subject has an exam conducted on a computer, this will be expanded to reflect the increasingly online world we are living in.”
Key features of the new syllabuses include a greater focus on cyber safety and cyber security content, the integration of other subjects that will create clearer pathways into future STEM study and careers and a new mandatory project for senior secondary students to support deeper learning and the development of project skills.
Aside from the new Computing Technologies curriculum, the NSW Government has also delivered new streamlined Geography 11 to 12 syllabuses and Classical and Modern Languages syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 10.
The NSW Education Standards Authority, which is responsible for delivering NSW Curriculum Reforms, will provide schools with support materials as they implement new syllabuses and prepare for online HSC exams.
The new syllabuses are available now on the Digital Curriculum platform launch for teachers to plan during 2023 and will be taught in NSW schools from 2024.
Source: NSW Government media release. Content has been edited for style and length.