Innovating education: join techUK's new Digital Skills in Education Policy Group!

Join techUK’s Digital Skills in Education Working Group to work with policymakers and wider industry to drive the integration of digital skills and tech literacy across education and the curriculum.

The education system must set young people up for success in a digital world. As new technologies such as AI promise to transform society and jobs, the ability to use these tools effectively and securely will be essential.

That is why techUK is establishing a new Digital Skills in Education Policy Group to ensure that students leave education equipped for our digital future.

Fewer than half of employers believe young people are leaving full-time education with the digital skills they need for work, and almost a quarter of those who have left school didn’t think their school provided adequate technology training.

It’s an issue for parents too, with one survey finding that 85% of parents think that digital skills should be taught in schools with the same level of importance as reading and writing, 75% think digital skills will have more practical use than subjects like history, and 61% say it would improve their children’s career prospects. Moreover, 76% think a proportion of the school budget should be ringfenced to ensure access to the latest technology.

Digital skills that can be important for young people include things like basic and essential computer skills, coding and programming, social media safety, cybersecurity awareness, and typing skills, as well as literacy in emerging technologies like AI.

The EU AI Act’s Article 4 places emphasis on AI literacy and education specifically, referring to people having the core competencies, knowledge and skills needed to live and thrive in a world that is AI-enabled. That means not just the ability to work with, on, or alongside AI technologies – by, for example, using effective prompts with LLMs – but also the ability to understand what AI is, and isn’t, and when you are experiencing or interacting with AI.

Many of the most important digital skills are overlapping, complementary and reinforcing, underscoring a need to embed digital skills across learning; supported by developing hard to automate soft skills too, like oracy, critical thinking and the ability to adapt and learn.

At the same time, developments in technology have put assessments under the microscope, with some concern around the impact of AI on their integrity. Assessments must be flexible enough to enable students to learn and make use of this technology, whilst ensuring that assessments remain fair for everyone.

As the government undertakes a Curriculum & Assessment Review, techUK is convening this group to discuss how the UK can embed digital skills teaching across the education system – from schools to colleges and beyond – and set young people up for success in a digital world.


The group will consider:

  • Working with government and educational institutions to embed digital skills, AI literacy and complementary soft skills in curricula, across primary and secondary education and beyond
  • Exploring principles of generative AI in education, including assessment and academic integrity
  • The role of course accreditation
  • Fostering collaboration between the tech sector and academic researchers to advance tech and AI literacy through joint projects
  • Supporting initiatives focused on upskilling teachers to teach computing and technology skills
  • Championing low-cost solutions to embedding digital skills and AI literacy
  • Spotlighting pathways into digital jobs for learners

If you’d like to discuss the aims and objectives of the group, or have any questions, please get in touch. And to register your interest, please fill out this very short form.


techUK's Skills, Talent and Diversity Programme activities

techUK work with our members to signpost the opportunity of digital jobs and ensure these opportunities are open to people of diverse backgrounds. We strive to help our members attract, recruit, and retain a diverse workforce, whilst showcasing their work on workplace innovation. Visit the programme page here.

Jobs and Skills

To make sure that the UK is a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone, it is crucial that people have the digital skills needed for life and work. Rapid digitalisation is creating surging demand for digital skills across the economy and the current domestic skills pipeline cannot keep up. Digitalisation is also leading to rapid changes in the labour market that means some traditional roles are being displaced. There is an urgent need to better match the demand and supply.

Visit the hub

Future of Work

The future of work is changing. Technology is powering a growth in flexible work across the economy, whilst emerging technologies such as robotics and AI are set to become common place. techUK believes the UK must consider the implications of digital transformation in the world of work now, equipping people and businesses across the country with the skills and conditions needed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the 4IR.

Learn more

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion sits at the heart of digital growth. The tech sector understands that innovation thrives from diversity of thought and is continually looking to attract, recruit and retain a diverse workforce. techUK is proud to support a number of initiatives that promote this, from doing outreach work to ensure that people regardless of their background are inspired into tech, to initiatives that help build more inclusive workplaces for those with different accessibility needs.

Find out more

Returners Hub

Returners programmes offer a supported bridge back to work for people who have taken a career break. Providing ways for people to ease back into work after a career break is a vital way to make sure we do not lose out on their talent and experience. The techUK returners hub was created as a one-stop-shop for people looking to return to a career in digital.

Head to the hub

 

Thrive newsletter

Get a monthly round-up of all the latest Skills, Talent & Diversity news from the tech industry straight to your inbox.

Sign up here

Upcoming events

Learn more and get involved

 

Skills, Talent and Diversity updates

Sign-up to get the latest updates and opportunities from our Skills, Talent and Diversity programme.

 

Here are the five reasons to join the Skills, Talent and Diversity programme

Download

Join techUK groups

techUK members can get involved in our work by joining our groups, and stay up to date with the latest meetings and opportunities in the programme.

Learn more

Become a techUK member

Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.

Learn more

 

 

Related topics