The number of students taking IT A-levels has dropped by eight percent over
the past year, painting a worrying picture for the future health of the UK’s IT
workforce.
Just over 20,000 students sat either the IT or computing A-level this year, a
huge drop since 2003 when more than 28,000 took either subject. Last year, more
than 22,000 students sat an IT exam.
This is despite the total number of A-level exams sat rising by about 22,000 across all subjects to almost 806,000. Most other subjects saw an increase in the number of students taking the course.
Elizabeth Pollitzer of Equalitec, a project to advance women in IT, said the decline was disappointing but also surprising. “We’re in the midst of a digital-based revolution, but British youth is apparently not interested and won’t be taking part in it,” she added.
Pollitzer said the falling numbers could be partly due to outdated attitudes towards IT. “Maybe it’s presented as a utility tool like 15 to 20 years ago, but now it’s about healthcare and entertainment, and a way to innovate,” she argued. “To attract young people, you need to have young people selling the message, they’re looking for the ‘wow’ factor. Companies like Google can show exactly how that’s happening.”
Ian Smith, Oracle UK’s regional senior vice-president and managing director, agreed that technology companies have a responsibility to make careers in the sector more attractive. “Businesses must [also] be prepared to support young people and their current employees as they endeavour to understand what skills they need to be attractive to employers," he added.
