A-Level Results 2022 – Tech industry experts react
This week A-Level students received their results, with many of them now working out next steps. In the UK, top grades for A-level results have fallen since last year, with 36.4% of all grades marked at A* or A, to try and tackle rising grade inflation over the last two years.
A near-record high number of students have been offered a university or college place too, and the first T-level grades were revealed for those taking new technical qualifications, with an overall pass rate of 92%.
But are school leavers fully prepared for the worlds of higher education and work that awaits them? UK tech job vacancies have grown by 191% between 2020-2021 – and are continuing to grow, according to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. But recruitment remains difficult, owing to an ongoing shortage of skilled workers.
It seems there’s a disconnect between what students learn in school and real-world job opportunities. Let’s discuss how industry leaders and educators can help bridge that gap.
By incorporating technology such as versatile tablet cases, digital styluses, and smart AI-powered whiteboard cameras into everyday use in schools, students will be prepared to work in innovative ways, collaborate digitally with peers and feel confident with technology – all of which will be valuable skills for their future careers. The pandemic saw a rapid acceleration in technology adoption within education; and with the outcomes, impact and success we are already seeing, now is no time to slow down.
To ensure students of all ages and backgrounds have access to the necessarily learning resources, the government must provide free resources to all schools. These resources are crucial for educators to provide sufficient digital education. Not only will this equip the students with the required skills for the future, but it will also place the country at a competitive advantage and will benefit the economy.
Universities and companies should be looking for a range of skills and potential in young people, “Educational institutions must encourage students to seek out careers beyond the ‘obvious’ choice and businesses must open their doors to those that are the right fit from a cultural, creativity and empathy perspective. They may not have all the technical skills at their fingertips, but these can be learned on the job on a need-to-know basis.
Opening the pool of students applying for tech courses, and ultimately for tech careers, will lead to a more diverse, innovative and creative industry – and it is these un-tapped creative minds that will advance the future of work as much as those with deep technical knowledge.
We must also consider the importance of diverse thinking in creating the next generation of technology offers. A select few usually create technology, but young people of diverse and minority backgrounds must be represented in the user research, development and operational phases to maximise future technology adoption and lifespan. By encouraging role models of all backgrounds into critical technology roles, businesses can truly make inroads in inspiring the next generation of workers to pursue technology careers.
Alongside university degrees, we should also consider apprenticeships, tech bootcamps and online digital learning as valid pathways into the industry. And learning mustn’t stop once the next generation of talent is embedded into the workforce. Employers must provide opportunities for employees to learn in-demand skills ‘on the go’, with continuous access to training and development.”
The benefits of widening access into technology for young people will be wide-ranging. Not only will this help to fill any necessary gaps, but also to increase diversity in tech too. As VMware Tanzu’s Ed Hoppitt points out, “Software, apps and AI are only as good as the teams that put them together – and the next generation of developers needs to be as diverse as possible, to capture the needs of our diverse society too. Improving the talent pipeline into software and modern apps development needs to come from grassroots engagement – and the tech industry has a clear role to play here.