New tech subjects added to 2022 HSC include game design, cloud computing

High school students will be taught to create their own computer games and how to prevent cyber attacks as part of a new effort to equip them for a world transformed by technology.

Avid gamer Tom Eisner could soon become part of Australia’s online line of defence in the growing battle against hack attacks and cyber warfare.

The 16-year-old is among the students who have been offered Cyber Security, Big Data, Cloud Computing and Game Design among their HSC subjects for the first time as part of the state’s curriculum overhaul.

The new vocational courses taught virtually by TAFE NSW will count towards students’ HSC and contribute to their ATAR.

The cyber security course will teach students about emerging cyber threats, how to prevent and manage cyber attacks and how to protect computing systems from spam and malware.

Tom Eisner, 16, is banking on a big future with the new computer courses added to the HSC. Picture: Richard Dobson

Students will learn how to unleash and remove computer viruses as part of real-world simulations on isolated computing servers, which will prepare them for in-demand jobs such as network security analyst and cyber security specialist.

Asquith Boys High School Year 10 student Tom first learned he had a knack for computing when his Scouts troupe played a game of capture-the-flag with a modern-day twist. In computing parlance “capture the flag” refers to a cyber security game in which competitors find chinks in their opponents’ digital defences. “It is hacking at its simplest, which is finding issues with the way things are designed and taking advantage of those weaknesses,” he said.

Tom foresees bright career prospects in cyber security, an industry crying out for new talent.

“As computer systems become more prevalent, there will be more issues and opportunity for things to go awfully wrong,” he said.

“TAFE is not typically associated with computing, TAFE is more associated with trades, but as time goes on computing will become a trade.

“One of the main advantages of doing a TAFE course in high school is it contributes to my ATAR but is also a nationally recognised certificate, so if for whatever reason I don‘t go to uni then workplaces will recognise my computing qualification.”

NSW high school students will soon be able to learn how to prevent and manage cyber attacks.

In the virtual Game Design course, students will learn to create concepts, design 2D and 3D digital animations, and write code using industry-standard game engines.

The Cloud Computing course will teach students about remote data storage and how businesses can weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of different providers. The courses will provide students with the skills the industry demands, according to managing director of Microsoft Australia Steven Worrall. “These virtual TAFE courses will help students develop the skills required to thrive in the digital age, an age where technology will underpin every industry,” he said.

The new courses will future-proof the workforce and meet skills shortages in the technology sector, according to Skills and Tertiary Education Minister Geoff Lee.

“These cutting-edge courses are already garnering strong interest from students right across the state.”