In a bid to ’seduce’ youngsters to careers in IT, Microsoft Australia has turned to the curves of former Miss Australia (2006) and ex-topless model, Erin McNaught, to front a new advertising campaign.

Microsoft is using the catwalk model to turn heads following a 38 percent drop in university enrollments in IT courses in Australian universities in the past two years.

Microsoft Human Director Rose Clements commented that a view among young people is that the IT industry is “not one of the sexier professions. Erin would be a great role model for would-be IT students and, as a female, would also encourage more girls into the industry.”

Well, Erin should be able to change that perspective, even though the 25-year-old bombshell, who hosts gaming and gadget shows, admits that she is no computer whiz. “Just a great body and mind.”

McNaught was in the middle of a controversy last year when topless pictures of her appeared in men’s magazine Zoo Weekly soon after she was named Miss Australia (the pictures were taken in 2004).

While approach to a 1970’s-style marketing appears cynical, what is really shocking is that Microsoft has a chosen a university dropout as its poster girl. McNaught dropped out of the Queensland University of Technology, where she was studying science, to pursue a career in modeling.

While this new strategy of Microsoft looks daringly creative, the question in my mind is: Will the campaign attract more young people into IT or will it cause the youngsters who intended to pursue IT to quit and get into modeling??