Cordys, a leading provider of software for business process innovation today announces that the Institute for Computing and Information Science (iCIS, http://www.cs.ru.nl/) of the Radboud University Nijmegen has decided to collaborate with Cordys to roll out a programme to attract new talent for ICT among pre-university (VWO) students. The programme consists of the following two parts:

•   Masterclass - a Masterclass will be designed by iCIS to introduce pre-university students into modern Internet technology. Building Mashup applications (Mashapps®) with Cordys Process Factory will be part of the Masterclass.
•   Award for Best Student ICT Project - The annual contest for the best final year project ("profielwerkstuk") in various science disciplines, organised by the Science Faculty of the Radboud University Nijmegen, where students can compete for the best final year ICT project, will feature a special prize sponsored by Cordys.

The Institute for Computing and Information Science designed this programme to encourage and inspire pre-university students to begin participating in software development, and to expose pre-university students interested in ICT to real-world software development. After a beta period with a small local group, the audience will be expanded. Radboud University will invite 4,500 teachers and around 10,000 pre-university students from the Netherlands to participate in the programme. Participation in the award contest is open to all pre-university (VWO) students that have completed a final year project ("profielwerkstuk") on ICT.

“Our goal is to stimulate the interest of pre-university students for Computer Science, and to give them the chance to demonstrate and develop their ICT skills,” said prof. dr. J. Herman Geuvers, professor at the Department of Computer Science of the Radboud University Nijmegen. “Students will learn about the techniques for creating applications, the principles of computer-based systems, and the business and career aspects of ICT.”

During the Masterclasses, students will also have an opportunity to build Mashup applications, or MashApps, using Cordys Process Factory. When asked about the benefits of Cordys Process Factory, prof. dr. Geuvers commented: “Cordys Process Factory has been selected because working with it does not require knowledge of programming languages, data formats, or hosting environments. Its ease of use – for example the familiar drag-and-drop technology - gives us the opportunity to bind up technology and education in an attractive way.”

“We are very pleased to work with the Radboud University Nijmegen on this initiative to attract more talented students into ICT degree programmes,” said Jon Pyke, Chief Strategy Officer of Cordys. “The necessity of increasing the quantity and quality of ICT professionals requires attracting and encouraging young students to enter Computer Science programmes. By providing open access to Cordys technology, we are making a clear investment into the future of the ICT industry.”

Students and teachers participating in the programme will get free access to Cordys Process Factory. “It allows education institutions across the country to offer students anywhere, anytime hands-on experience with the latest, industry-leading enterprise software from Cordys," explains Jon Pyke. Users can also become member of the Cordys open, online community, where users can share process models, discuss ideas, and learn about best practices. “We hope students have an enjoyable and educational experience in the online community and we’re looking forward to seeing many innovative solutions built with our do-it-yourself application development platform in the Cloud,” said Cordys’ CSO.

Another invaluable part of the Radboud University Programme for pre-university students is the contest for best final year ICT project. The contest is sponsored by Cordys and offers prize money for the most innovative and valuable ICT project. “This contest gives students the opportunity to truly apply what they have learned in the classroom,” said the professor from Nijmegen. “Our programme is a great opportunity for every pre-university student to get hands-on experience with latest collaborative technologies, and become familiar with ICT themes and concepts in an attractive way,” prof. dr. Geuvers concluded.

Cordys is cooperating with universities in several countries as part of an international programme of knowledge sharing and support of educational institutions.