ICT students are acting as real life consultants under a pioneering new study unit.

Year 9 students are turning their classroom learning into real world experience, by pitching their ICT skills to a client looking to make better use of technology.

A total of 23 students have chosen the Consultancy unit of study.

Their client is Dayle Haigh-Smith, who runs Outdoor Fitness HK, and is looking to use web and video technology to expand her customer base to include more teenagers.

In order to create a realistic scenario, students have been grouped into companies, with each company appointing their own CEO and CTO.

During the initial client visit, students spent a gruelling hour as participants in one of Dayle's bootcamp fitness sessions.

This was aimed at orienting them to what Dayle offers her clients. The students then spoke with her to find out more about her company and her needs, before breaking out for an afternoon's work at The Hive SK and Starbucks (both hotbeds of entrepreneurship).

Now back at school, students are racing to meet a deadline, at which they will pitch their work to Dayle, with the hope of seeing their efforts selected to be used at Outdoor Fitness HK.

This unit offers students a chance to really stretch themselves, breaking out of the classroom to work and learn in new ways. It also allows our school to build links to local NGOs and small business, such as Feeding Hong Kong and Teng Hoi Conservation, who have been previous clients.

In addition, our PE Department's Ben Blain was able to come along and enjoy some professional development through working with Dayle, allowing us to integrate certain bootcamp drills into ICHK's fitness programmes.