The level of technology education is catching up with businesses.

The skills gap remains glaring and a threat to business innovation over the years. Worse, there is a fear that this deficit is self-inflicted, with policymakers neglecting to incorporate the interests of enterprises into the curricula of schools and universities.

According to Udacity, the majority of businesses (56%) struggle to hire the technology talent they need, which impacts critical projects and their ability to innovate quickly. Meanwhile, as new technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing begin to take shape, having a highly skilled workforce will be critical.

Many are turning to internal training and development to develop their employees, which results in a more engaged workforce, but it has its limits. Finding a broader job market for specific technical expertise is still seen as a major issue, however, regardless of the industry or sector the business operates within.

Chaos at the heart of long-term education planning can be part of the equation. Five years ago, the Royal Society for Computing in Schools found that 54% of schools in England did not offer a GCSE in computer science. Today, following the discontinuation of ICT GCSE, many schools are offering Computer Science at GCSE and A-level, as well as ICT at A-level, according to BCS. In the year In 2020, Computer Science was ranked the 16th most popular GCSE with 13.4% of cohorts taking the exam and 6% sitting the exam.

Stack Overflow CEO Prashant Chandrasekhar says IT Pro Technological skills are a flexible target. “More than 70% of developers learn a new technology at least once a year. This means that by the time someone graduates from college or university, the latest language or technology may have changed at least four times. Unfortunately, traditional educational institutions cannot keep up. Innovation. This online resource It is reflected in the 70% of developers who learn to code.

Learning digital skills is an uphill battle.

Digital skills are important and necessary for employees. According to WorldSkills, 92% of businesses say basic digital skills are important, and 82% of job openings require some level of proficiency. However, many young people are still in digital poverty, with no access to any device, which hinders their development.

Central government has identified developing digital skills as a priority in the UK Digital Strategy, which emphasizes access to digital technologies to support further education. The Upgrading White Paper also aims to provide access to high-quality talent regardless of your location in the UK. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of computer and ICT teaching hours fell by more than a third (36%). Trained, teaching hours are down 47 percent.

The Department for Education (DFE) has released a policy paper covering post-16 technical education. Again, there is an admission that more needs to be done to improve technical skills, primarily in schools, but often faster than curriculum reform is the lack of connection between basic education, further education and the labor market. .

The debate over what technical skills should be taught is still in any meaningful way. Of course, talking IT ProSiobhan Wilson, Senior Vice President, EMEA Applications Customer Officer and UK Country Leader at Oracle, made the point that ‘technical ability’ doesn’t just mean coding.

“As business leaders, we also need to think critically about the skills we need to run our businesses,” she says. “As leaders of an IT organization, there is sometimes a misconception that we only need people with computer science degrees. While we absolutely need people with STEM qualifications, we also need talents from diverse backgrounds. For example, we often hire people with artistic backgrounds to help us approach problems from different angles.

Developing the teaching of the next generation

Just as elite sports have grassroots programs to inspire the next generation of Olympians, technology, for example, needs to be heralded as an aspirational and viable career option. By the time students get to university, their career path is set – but often businesses don’t tap into the subjects they need.

Recruiter Develop, which operates in London, Berlin and Miami, is introducing code and other STEM-related topics to local children and youth. Speaking about the partnership, Sarah Bellerby, Principal at Canon Barnett says: IT Pro She is thrilled to be a part of the project. “We are very grateful that the development team reached out to our school. This unique opportunity means we can carefully plan our curriculum to inspire students to learn about software engineering using high-quality STEM toys.

The trick comes in overcoming the inconsistency between standards, most of which have not been updated in years, and the needs of businesses. Such plans are one part of the equation, but getting the basics right is also important.

Paul Clough, head of data science and AI at Peak Indicators at the University of Sheffield, added that the government’s data literacy skills, which include the ability to read, understand and communicate data, are the leading path. “[These] They’re very important to start thinking critically about the ways we use data,” he says, though he admits it’s only one part of the story. “At the University of Sheffield, we are striving to build more soft skills into our courses. To get students to think beyond the technology itself, to the wider social or organizational context in which it is used.

As Scott Hayden, head of digital education and lecturer at Basingstoke College of Technology, explains, how we equip teachers is also changing. “To ensure our students leave college with the right skills to help local businesses, we co-design our curriculum with local employers and SMBs,” he tells IT Pro. This is critical to our plan. The courses they are a part of and how the knowledge, skills and behaviors within these classes reflect the industry’s expectations.”

Post-pandemic businesses must innovate quickly. Enabling them to meet customer needs requires a renewed drive to find workers with the necessary skills. Employers, however, face a shrinking pool of employees with specialized technical skills. Some domestic inefficiencies may provide a temporary fix, but engagement with education providers must accelerate to lead a highly skilled generation.