Software Sector Expected to Grow Despite Fears of Flat Line

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.