Tim Seaman, Managing Director, Man and Machine

Thame, Oxford

VAD

A very interesting article. A survey we conducted recently of teachers, heads of year, ICT managers and Ofsted Inspectors found that 82% of respondents believed that the current budget they received was simply not enough to prepare students for employment within key sectors such as IT and Computer Aided Design (CAD).

This trend is particularly alarming considering that key government figures have been publicly urging educators to let students experiment with the latest technologies to prevent UK students falling behind their European and American counterparts.

With the Government pledging an extra £230 million to schools for this year’s budget, the results of the survey show that the money is certainly not being invested in preparing pupils for work in the IT sector. It is clear that there is a real demand for technology by students and staff in the education sector and if this isn’t addressed soon, future employees are going to suffer greatly when they begin working. We live and breathe technology in our daily lives so it is essential that we equip our students with the skills they need to succeed in the working world. I strongly urge the Government to take these concerns more seriously and take a step to proactively address this issue.