By Natasha Lomas, 15 August 2008 17:25
NEWS
Don't expect a home-grown solution to the UK's tech skills crisis any time soon - this year's A-Level results show the number of candidates taking IT-related subjects continues to decline.
The figures show 5,068 people sat the computing A-Level this year, compared to 5,610 in 2007 - with 16.1 per cent achieving an A grade which is a slight increase on 2007 when 15.6 per cent got the top grade.
The largest proportion of this year's candidates (22.4 per cent) achieved a Grade C - as was the case back in 2007.
When broken down by gender, girls did marginally better than boys - with 17.9 per cent achieving an A in computing, compared to 15.9 per cent of boys. Far more males than females took the exam, however - 4,588 to 480 - suggesting male gender bias in IT is set to continue.
Meanwhile, 12,277 male and female candidates sat the ICT A-Level - compared to 13,360 last year - with 9.7 per cent achieving an A grade, up fractionally on 2007 when 9.5 per cent got the top grade. The ICT exam was sat by 7,607 boys and 4,670 girls but females again performed better - with 13.2 per cent getting an A compared to 7.6 per cent of the men.
Earlier this year, IT industry skills body e-skills UK's CEO, Karen Price, called for a radical overhauling of IT teaching in schools, claiming it is putting kids off a career in technology.
Academic qualifications are not the be all and end all when it comes to a career in tech, according to IT training company CompuTeach - which says employers value IT specific qualifications that are relevant to current market conditions.
Darren O'Connell, careers consultant at CompuTeach, said in a statement: "While a degree in Computer Science, for example, will show a commitment to the subject and a high-level of technical knowledge, it may not differentiate an individual in a market that demands current and relevant skills."
O'Connell said while public sector organisations often require degree educated candidates, employees in private enterprise are likely to need an industry recognised qualification in addition to any academic record.
He added: "It is the ability to communicate with customers, to solve problems and to understand business needs that will set you apart. These skills are fundamental whether you enter the workplace at 16, after A-levels or with a degree and there are opportunities at all levels."
Although fewer people opted to sit the computing or ICT at A-Level this year, it was a different story for mathematics - with maths and further maths both showing a healthy rise in candidate numbers.
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. John Jackson
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha all the kids know the jobs are being sent to India and there is no point in studying this subject for losers and social misfits. Changing the curriculum wont make any difference, the only thing that will make it more attractive to them is making it a much better paid job with much better job security. Just import Indian workers to do the jobs and forget about training British kids to do it.
2. anonymous
I suggest you look at the A-Level ICT course, you may then understand why so few people do it.
The course is a joke, I suspect Media Studies or just giving up and going surfing would be of benifit to a 18 year old than an ICT A-Level.
3. anonymous
Give the Training Quango's more money?
Doing IT well is hard work and fakes are easily exposed. Couple this with MBA type type executives exporting the IT Jobs to India/China it is no surprise that youngsters do not want IT as a career choice. Media Studies is so much easier.
Pumping more money into IT education is not going to solve the problem. They already have enough.
4. John H Woods
ICT in secondary schools is pretty much 'secretarial skills' and, at that, pretty much MS specific - on the few occaisions that the PCs work properly.
My 10 year old is extremely frustrated that the computers are always breaking and wonders 'why don't they use Ubuntu like we do'. My 12 year old gets more relevant IT training doing level design on Timesplitters 2 on the PS2.
'A' levels shouldn't be teaching kids vocationally anyway: ICT should be - imho - about bits, bytes, gates, hex and basic programming skills: eductation is not training and trying to make it so produces substandard results in both.
5. Alistair King
I 100% agree with last comment, we must replace ICT training with IT education NOW before we have another lost generation.
I suspect that the whole problem is that when computers 1st came out there was no real difference.
A good way of remembering the difference is to think what you would say if your 15 year old came home and told you they had just done Sex Training...
6. anonymous
You reap what you sow. All those people who were salivating over cheap labour in India will no doubt be the loudest complainers in a decade or two from now, when all the programmers like myself who grew up in the 80s have retired and there is nobody left to fill our shoes.
I'll be available to come out of retirement for £2000 per day.