The publication of this year's GCSE and A-level results
has raised renewed concerns about the declining numbers of students
choosing to study computing.
Over the past four years there has been a sharp drop in the
number of young people studying computing at school, with many
dismissing it as a subject for nerds and anoraks.
The decline has alarmed employers, who are beginning to realise
that unless something is done, they are going to have trouble
recruiting staff for their IT departments.
Many employers believe that the answer could be a new diploma in
business and IT, an alternative to traditional GCSE and A-levels.
The hope is that the course will win back the hearts and minds of
young people.
It is one of five specialised diplomas announced in the
government's 2005 Education and Skills White Paper and will be
rolled out in schools from 2008.
The diploma, the first schools qualification to be designed by
employers, aims to make IT more exciting, said Karen Price,
chairman of sector skills council E-Skills UK.
"A lot of young people are switched off IT as it is taught in
schools. They tend to find the subject boring and then assume that
working in IT must be boring. The relevance of the diploma and the
way it is taught should make it much more exciting and really
attractive for young people," she said.
The diploma has won backing from the UK's leading employers.
More than 600 firms have had an input into the design of the
course, and AstraZeneca, Ford, John Lewis, BT and Vodafone are
among the organisations helping to design the curriculum.
The result should be a qualification that is much more focused
on the needs of employers than the current computing
qualifications. Its development marks a recognition that as an
increasing number of basic IT jobs, such as programming and systems
support, go offshore, IT professionals in the UK will need higher
value business and management skills.
The diploma aims to develop young people's communication and
teamworking skills, teach them project management and problem
solving, and explain the workings of business as well as IT. There
will be an emphasis on developing strong English and maths skills -
a key requirement from employers who have reported a sharp decline
in these basic skills in recent years.
The IT components of the course will focus on real-life business
projects. Students will be taught how to write business cases for
IT projects and to estimate the costs and return on investment of
projects. They will be expected to manage projects during work
placements.
The diploma will be offered at three levels to students between
the ages of 16 and 19. Level 1 is equivalent to four or five GCSEs,
level 2 to five or six GCSEs, and level 3 to three A-levels.
It aims to be flexible enough to prepare students who want to go
straight into work after GCSEs or A-levels, or to act as a
foundation for those who want to go on to study computing at
university.
Those who want to go straight into work after leaving school can
opt to study supplier qualifications, such as the MCSE (Microsoft
certified systems engineer) to prepare themselves for the
workplace. Others will be offered the chance to study subjects in
more depth, in so called "stretch modules" designed to reach a
higher level of academic achievement.
Feedback from businesses shows that employers are particularly
looking for rounded young people with a range of skills, not just
specialists in IT. The diploma will allow for this by encouraging
students to take an A-level in a science or a language as part of
the qualification .
Andy Hill, head of resourcing at Vodafone UK, said the diploma
would improve the quality of new recruits coming out of the school
system. "People were coming out of schools who were quite
technical, but what was missing was that they did not seem to
interpret how technology makes a difference. Things like project
management, communication and putting technology into a business
context were missing," he said.
"For us to compete as an economy we should have people coming
out as educated and as business savvy and business aware as
possible."
Price acknowledged that a lot of hard work still remains to be
done if the diploma is to prove a hit with students and their
parents.
Employers will need to do their part by providing case studies,
offering to provide speakers from the industry, helping with
careers advice, and offering work experience. In some cases,
employers could provide training days for teachers to help them get
up to speed with the latest technology.
"I am very clear that it absolutely addresses what every single
employer is saying to me they are looking for. At the top end, it
is people who understand business as well as technology. I think it
will make a step change," Price said.
Practical projects to boost skills
Tasks students will be asked to complete for the level 3 diploma
in IT and business include:
- Develop business case for an IT system, including business
benefits, risk, and return on investment
- Run a simulated small businesses
- Analyse and document a business process and identify areas of
improvement
- Present written and spoken project proposals, and negotiate as
part of a team
- Use mathematical concepts to understand business dynamics and
solve business problems
- Understand key factors in the success or failure of projects
and the principles of project planning
- Develop a project plan for an IT project, including defining
objectives, milestones, budget, risks and evaluation
- Design a small-scale technology solution, including systems
architecture, modelling, database design and network security
- Understand core techniques for managing the availability and
security of technology systems.
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