WIREDGOV

Charlotte Holloway, Policy Director, comments on today's GCSE results.

“There’s a lot of good news in today’s results – now more than ever companies are looking for reassurances that there is a bright future for the UK’s tech talent pipeline. The number of students studying computing has increased by 76 percent to 62,500 entrants this year, and engineering has also seen an increase of over ten percent. It is great to see that our young people are getting more excited about the opportunities in tech and digital.

“The increase in the number of girls taking GCSE Computing, double the number in 2015, is a particularly welcome boost. Over one in five of those taking GCSE computing were female, a 12 percent increase on last year. While there is more to be done to grow this number further in future years, this is a firm step in the right direction. 

“As students make decision about their next steps, we encourage our young people to seriously consider the many rewarding career options in tech and digital, including through apprenticeships and technical vocational qualifications.”