Lack of female computing A-level students

6,200 students sat an A-level in computing in 2016, accounting for only 0.7% of all A-levels sat. This puts computing 29th out of 36 subject areas in terms of uptake, despite the fact that digital is one of the fastest growing areas of employment.

140,000 new people a year are needed to enter digital specialist roles in the UK, and there is an increasing need for digital skills in jobs in every sector of the economy.

This year also saw a 4% fall in the number of students undertaking an ICT A-level. Focusing on skills around the day-to-day use of IT, this option has historically seen a better gender balance, and females accounted for 36% of students.

The figures come amid a UK-wide digital skills shortage, with over half of tech businesses recruiting digital specialists reporting difficulty filling their vacancies. Employers are working through the Tech Partnership on a range of initiatives to tackle this problem in the skills pipeline, with new ways for young people to acquire and demonstrate skills that are valued by industry.

This ranges from employer-backed Tech Industry Gold degree apprenticeships, which enable a person to get started on their career at the same time as undertaking a full honours degree, to TechFuture Badges, through which students can use a flexible range of resources to acquire online badges attesting to skills that are valued by employers.

Hema Marshall, Head of Country Digitisation and Skills at Cisco said: “The number of young people choosing to study IT-related A levels remains a big concern. With demand for tech specialists growing, it’s vital that we equip a new generation with the digital skills the UK needs to remain globally competitive. We hope that, though the TechFuture Badge Academy, we can help encourage a greater number of young people to explore tech skills and careers.”