There is a widespread ambition for the UK to be a leader in technology-enabled scaleups, and I agree. Many of the foundations for that ambition are in place, including large-scale capital. However, the primary constraint is people.
There is a long-standing skills crisis for digital and computing skills and the same overwhelming ratio of male students as 40 years ago when I studied it. Every job in every industry needs these skills now or will do in the near future: they are the new modern language.
To bridge this gap we should equip all of our young people with these computing skills to at least GCSE level. These skills will set them up to have good jobs for life, irrespective of the impact of AI, which will create as many jobs as it removes.
Most people are state-educated, so this is an area that the UK government has the ability, and I would argue the responsibility, to lead on. It is a huge challenge and could be a new national priority.
Achieving success would need new approaches and partnerships across education, business, charity and society. All countries are struggling with this, and we could actually lead the world. If we don’t, what will the UK be known for in the 2030/2040s and beyond?
What do scaleups need?
A scaleup is a company that consistently grows, and scaleup companies provide over 3 million jobs and many of the new jobs created. The ScaleUp Institute, where I was chair for three years, surveys its 30,000+ members every year and is the voice of the community. They have concluded that scaleups need more digital skills. These skills are not about being able to use Snapchat or TikTok, but the fundamental understanding of how to translate what humans want into what machines can do, whether it be design, logic, analysis, AI, data structures, integration, testing or networking.
These skills require creativity, communication, and the ability to work in teams. These skills are not just needed for people who become coders or who work for a technology business. Every job needs them: from retail to finance to healthcare. Boosting these skills could also help the UK level up as people with these skills from Southport to Scunthorpe can obtain high-value jobs without having to relocate.
Sometimes the argument is made that education is pointless in technology as everything changes so rapidly, so knowledge becomes obsolete. I disagree; while some of the applications and platforms change, the fundamentals remain the same. I learned to code as a 16-year-old in Stockport in 1981 and still use some of the principles today.
Technology also has a long tail. I met a young woman recently on a degree apprenticeship with IBM who is currently working with software called CICS. I worked with CICS in 1983 as a computer operator!
Teach a girl to code
Despite the number of students taking computing at GSCE and A level increasing, it is only the 15th most taken subject at both levels (maths is the highest). There are also major diversity and inclusion issues, with female students in education only ~20% and ~25% in the technology industry, levels which have not changed in decades. This situation puts many students off the whole area, and, if that happens in school, it may stay for their whole career.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I was CEO of a high-performing cloud software business with an almost 50% female workforce. To break this cycle all students should study computing.
This won’t be achieved through the traditional model of a teacher leading a class of 30+ pupils. It is extremely difficult for schools to hire and retain good computing teachers as candidates take higher-paying jobs outside teaching. This won’t get easier or be fixed by bursaries. The curriculum will also need adapting, with the new Institutes of Technology demonstrating how to develop and deliver programmes with industry. To teach everyone well, we will need a new model of computing education which is an innovative collaboration between education, companies, charities and students.
There are some excellent initiatives in this area that could be scaled up and integrated more like Software Academy and digit
50s are the new 20s
The need for skills doesn’t just apply to young people in education: 80% of the workforce of 2034 are already in work today and the CBI estimates that 90% of the UK workforce needs to be reskilled. We need to make computing and digital training available to all adults, regardless of their existing level of qualification. Too many people think that ‘these jobs aren’t for me’ when, well, they might be.
There are some excellent programmes, like the Institute of Coding, which could be scaled up and integrated. There is so much potential in the UK and companies are hungry for talent. A broad and deep approach to lifelong learning could bridge this gap.
Sometimes big decisions are needed to change the course of history, and that’s what I’m calling for. With a huge need for it, there are countless organisations of all sizes across the country who could be part of enabling it. The vast majority of people in the UK go through state education, so adopting this approach needs Government leadership and advocacy at the highest level. Let’s do this.
Adam Hale is partner at ScaleUp Group and a board member of Tech Nation.
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