Despite fears of a flat line, new
developments in software education have seen experts such as Dian Skelton
suggest that the industry is set to record significant growth.
Education is Vital to Continued Software Sector Growth
Dian Skelton is a director at
ViewPoint Software Services Limited. In this post she discusses the unexpected
growth in the Software sector and why education is vital to ensure its
continued growth.
This is why new developments in
software education, announced recently, have caused experts such as Skelton to
suggest that the sector is headed for renewed growth going forward, despite
expectations of a market flat line. This comes as countries, particularly
England and Wales, are now taking note of the importance of educating their
youth in computer software, by implementing significant changes to their
national curriculums.
Software Universities in Wales
Specifically, it has been
announced that Wales intends to set up its first ‘software university’.
Following concerns that there is a lack of software skills in high tech
industries, a number of businesses have pooled their resources together in
order to create this university.
Furthermore, experts have
expressed fears that Wales will fall behind its competitors if it does not
review and change its approach to educating young people about software and
coding. These experts have suggested that the youth in Wales may lose out on
future employment prospects to people from outside the country, due to a lack
of knowledge and competence in the software field.
Curriculum Changes in England
England is one of the many
countries that has already made these changes. From September 2014 it will be
mandatory for all English schools to teach coding and programming as part of
the national curriculum, something that no other country currently does.
Given that the software sector is
now expected to grow, these changes will arrive in a timely fashion for English
schools. Although it will take some time for these changes to be fully
implemented, it appears that there is an excellent opportunity for England to
step into the lead in the digital race.
Although the curriculum changes
have generally been met with positivity, some people have voiced concerns over
how long it may take for teachers to adapt and learn the new curriculum
themselves. As experts have said there is more to computing than coding alone.
Dian Skelton's Thoughts
Commenting on this, Dian Skelton
has said that the expected growth in the software sector is welcome news.
Skelton says she is a true believer in education and stressed the importance of
the curriculum changes, stating that it is a crucial step in ensuring that
England, not only keeps up with its competitors, but rises above them and
provides youngsters with the knowledge they need to succeed in this industry.
