Tomorrow I am having a meeting with the government about how to solve the digital crisis that’s about to happen- The IT and digital industries are growing six times faster than any other industry but the number of children choosing ICT GCSE is in steady decline, why?
Because the ICT curriculum in the UK is so out of date teaching kids mundane skills like word processing and office productivity tools rather than engaging children in the mathematics and science behind their favorite computer games .
These children are surrounding themselves with technology every day and clearly have an interest in social networks like Facebook, but the problem, I believe, is not only the curriculum being past its sell by date, but children do not make the connections between studying IT or computer science and getting a job at Facebook or Apple.
A report last week said technology industries added £102billion a year to the economy but the IT curriculum is so bad it is holding back the UK’s creative, digital and IT industries, business and university leaders said. With our banks going down the pan, our digital and creative industries are the only assets the UK has left to offer the world stage, but with our children shunning ICT, we will never have the opportunity to replicate the initiatives and innovation environments that brought the world Google and Amazon.
So, I need your help, if a new ICT curriculum was formed today, what aspects of the IT and digital industry should be on it and how can we engage the next generation in learning about the fundamentals of the Internet and Technology industry?
You can leave comments or email me hermioneway@newspepper.com and I will report back to you on any progress. Thanks!
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