ICT lessons are a ‘turn-off’

With a 33 per cent fall in the number of pupils taking GCSE or A-level IT, concerns have been raised by The Royal society that the lack of interest in IT could result in an unskilled workforce that could potentially threaten the UK’s economy.

A study is to be conducted by The Royal Society, which will look at the IT curriculum and current exams/assessments as well as teacher training and facilities available within schools.
The research is to be supported by 24 organisations including The Royal Academy of Engineering, Google and Microsoft Research.

Chairman of the Study, Professor Steve Furber, has said the UK has a proud history of leading the way in the field of computer science and associated disciplines:

“...from the development of the world’s first stored-program computers to more recent innovations such as the invention of the world-wide web.

“However, from this bright start, we are now watching the enthusiasm of the next generation waste away through poorly conceived courses and syllabuses.

“If we cannot address the problem of how to educate our young people in inspirational and appropriate ways, we risk a future workforce that is totally unskilled and unsuited to tomorrow’s job market.”