12 December 2008 ORT Argentina looks forward to record high school graduation ORT Argentina is preparing for its biggest ever graduation class 802 students graduating from its two high schools armed with the best possible education to prepare them for the challenges of an adult world in turmoil. A massive ceremony is due to take place at Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires next week at which the students will be presented with their diplomas. This years total is nearly 10 per cent up on last year, a sign that an ORT education is more sought after than ever and evidence of the need for the science and technology centre due to be built next year. The centre will not only provide state-of-the-art facilities for the learning of 21st century skills, it will also free up space at the ORT Almagro campus to allow increased student enrolment. In a letter congratulating ORT Argentina on its success, World ORT President Dr Jean de Gunzburg wrote: When describing the achievements of ORT Argentina, its staff and its students, only superlatives will suffice. The education that you provide is second to none and the students who pass through your institutions have so much to be proud of. This years students are graduating from tracks specialising in business administration, informatics, construction, musical production, chemistry, electronics, mass media communication, design and Information and Communication Technology. Teaching staff at ORT Argentina are confident that their soon-to-be former students will be able to face up to the demands of a straitened society. Every member of the faculty seeks to increase his understanding of careers that our graduates choose, the abilities the graduates need to be successful in those careers, and how we can ensure that they master those abilities, said Head of the Department of English at the ORT Technical School, Patricia Brezca. This is not a minor task in Argentina since its changing political and socio-economic standards pose hard goals for them to achieve. Thanks to our career-oriented curricula, our graduates face no difficulty in finding further study opportunities or a job opening. ORT Argentina also offers post-graduation programmes, a variety of internships and a range of companies which have agreed to give preference to ORT graduates. In his letter, Dr de Gunzburg urged the graduates to use the knowledge and skills acquired through the wonderful education at ORT Argentina to take on the world. And he congratulated ORT Argentina on its commitment to innovation and excellence exemplified by its development of a Virtual Campus which is designed to expose students and teachers to new technologies, particularly collaborative Web 2.0 tools as well as of its physical campus. Ms Brezca said this was part and parcel of ORT Argentinas comprehensive approach involving training in ethics, technology and sport to enhance the students chances of entering university and the labour force. When our graduates face the choice of a diverse range of job and career opportunities they can confidently use the tools and know-how provided by ORT Argentina in order to make the best decision for their future, she said.