Schools urged to put emphasis on teaching digital technology

Former Education Secretary Lord Kenneth Baker has encouraged schools to place a greater emphasis on teaching digital technology in order for pupils to secure jobs in the future.

Warning that many white collar and professional jobs will be under threat from artificial intelligence, Lord Baker, now chair of the Edge Foundation, has produced a report urging the education system to respond to the way in which technological change will affect the future jobs market.

He argued that vocational education and the provision of the necessary digital skills is ‘almost entirely absent from the core curriculum in mainstream schools’. The report, The Digital Revolution, calls for a stronger emphasis on work-related technical skills, linked to the impact of digital technology.

Lord Baker has set out an eight-point education plan which responds to the digital revolution. This includes recommendations suggesting that: primary schools should bring in outside experts to teach coding; all primaries should have 3D printers and design software; secondary schools should be able to teach Computer Science, Design and Technology or another technical/practical subject in place of a foreign language GCSE; the Computer Science GCSE should be taken by at least half of all 16 year olds; young apprenticeships should be reintroduced at 14, blending a core academic curriculum with hands-on learning; all students should learn how businesses work, with schools linked to local employers; schools should be encouraged to develop a technical stream from 14-18 for some students, covering enterprise, health, design and hands-on skills; and that universities should provide part-time courses for apprentices to get Foundation and Honours degrees.