More specialist IT skills needed among young people in Britain

The IT employment sector is growing five times faster than the UK average. In the next five years some 500,000 new entrants will be needed. However most of these jobs – research analysts, software developers, infrastructure specialists, systems engineers – will demand higher level qualifications and skills.

There are specially real opportunities for young people who are increasingly under-represented in the IT sector. Educational performance will need to radically transform to provide the calibre of entrants required. An overhaul of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum is required. It is hoped that Behind the Screen, an industry-funded trial of a new computing curriculum, will help to achieve this. Co-opting tech companies on to school governing bodies would promote the sector to young people. [Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk]

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