There is a skill gap in the UK. That much appears clear. The Times ran an editorial this week lamenting the failure of our education system to have produced anything in the way of technical colleges. The Independent on Sunday produced something similar complaining that while graduates have invested siginificantly in their educations, the skills they gain from it don't necessarily transfer into graduate level jobs.
There is now a general discussion going on about the extent to which universities should be providing vocational courses and the extent to which they should be providing academic courses. But within all this I suspect we are missing a trick.
I did a quick tripto all the schools around me recently to see what they were offering their students. I asked all of them about their IT curriculum. None really had one. They did a lot of research on computers. The smarter ones used iPads. But none taught any coding or anything that might give any insight into how computer software comes into being.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
When it came to languages, they all said they focused on French. There is a new design and technology curriculum but it appears to focus on cookery and gardening at the expense of actual technology (electronics or perhaps computer-aided design). We do no better as our children get older: under 3,500 computer science A-levels were completed last year that is a 70% decline since the late 1990s, says the Telegraph.
Does it matter? I think so. Remember the stunning news a few weeks ago that UK teenager Nick d'Aloisio had sold his app, Summly, to Yahoo! for £20m? The most stunning thing about it, as Jonnie Goodwin points out in the Telegraph, was that d'Aloisio taught himself to code. He might have been learning French at school, but the world's most important language the one underlying the technology that rules our work and leisure time -helearnt at home.
Google chief Eric Schmidt agrees. In 2011, he accused the UK of throwing away "our great computer heritage". So does the Chartered Institute for IT. It says that we have "manifestly neglected" computer science. The shame, says Goodwin, is that the UK is actually developing a hugely successful tech industry.
Some 35% of commercial property demand in London is from tech companies and in 2011 at least, there were 110,000 tech vacancies in the country. There is, it seems, a huge disconnect between what we are teaching our children and what we need to teach them and worse, says Goodwin, one that doesn't exist in the likes of Asia.
There is hope. The Guardian is very taken with CoderDojo in Camden which "hosts monthly sessions teaching children computer skills including coding" and Goodwin is involved in 'code clubs' which find volunteers skilled in coding to set up clubs to teach in primary schools, the idea being "to spark a passion that will last later into pupils' education."
It seems odd however that the teaching of this utterly vital skill should be left to volunteers rather than being set in stone as a core part of our children's curriculum from primary up. Something to point out to your children's teachers at the next parents' evening.
Can anyone explain theBritish obsession with French to me? All schools teach it from primary level, yet it isn't a particularly useful language. If we want everyone to speak a European language, why not Spanish? Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world (332 million native speakers). French is thetenth most widely spoken language in the world (72 million native speakers).
-
-
11 reasons you need to register for self-assessment before 5 October
There are lots of reasons why you may need to register for self-assessment. But you’ll need to act fast to meet the 5 October deadline.
-
Is there an ISA boost on the way?
Jeremy Hunt is reportedly planning large-scale ISA reforms, which include merging cash and stocks and shares products, and introducing an ISA for UK investments. We have all the details.
-
Beating inflation takes more luck than skill – but are we about to get lucky?
Opinion The US Federal Reserve managed to beat inflation in the 1980s. But much of that was down to pure luck. Thankfully, says Merryn Somerset Webb, the Bank of England may be about to get lucky.
-
Rishi Sunak can’t fix all our problems – so why try?
Opinion Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement is an attempt to plaster over problems the chancellor can’t fix. So should he even bother trying, asks Merryn Somerset Webb?
-
Young people are becoming a scarce resource – we should value them more highly
Opinion In the last two years adults have been bizarrely unkind to children and young people. That doesn’t bode well for the future, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
Ask for a pay rise – everyone else is
Opinion As inflation bites and the labour market remains tight, many of the nation's employees are asking for a pay rise. Merryn Somerset Webb explains why you should do that too.
-
Why central banks should stick to controlling inflation
Opinion The world’s central bankers are stepping out of their traditional roles and becoming much more political. That’s a mistake, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
How St Ives became St Tropez as the recovery drives prices sky high
Opinion Merryn Somerset Webb finds herself at the epicentre of Britain’s V-shaped recovery as pent-up demand flows straight into Cornwall’s restaurants and beaches.
-
The real problem of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Merryn's Blog April employment numbers showed 75 per cent fewer people in the US returned to employment compared to expectations. Merryn Somerset-Webb explains how excessive government support is causing a shortage of labour.
-
Why an ageing population is not necessarily the disaster many people think it is
Opinion We’ve got used to the idea that an ageing population is a bad thing. But that’s not necessarily true, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
