It is not only traditional manufacturing industries feeling the effect of skill shortages in UK school leavers.  Many employers state that the current ICT curriculum is failing to meet the needs of the workplace.

This is despite the UK playing a key role in the creation, development and future of ICT, and a recent study showing that the internet could contribute around £225bn to the UK economy by 2016 (more than 12% of GDP), making it a major growth sector.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt highlighted education as the primary threat to Britain’s success in the digital media economy, stating the country that invented the computer was “throwing away your great computer heritage” by failing to teach programming in schools.

This comes at a time of major transition in the ICT curriculum, with controversy over the intended removal of the statutory obligation to teach ICT bringing the issue into focus.  Some fear this change will lead to some schools providing virtually no computer and technology education at all for two school years, until an optional new computer science GCSE based around coding (prompted by Schmidt’s criticisms) rather than software use, is introduced in 2014.

The answer to these concerns seems clear:  Online learning solutions such as the Moodle learning platform, and e-Portfolios and secure social networking can fill this potential gap by putting ICT at the heart of all learning, whether it is taught as a dedicated subject or not.

Learning technology can be used not only to improve the quality and efficiency of teaching and learning across the curriculum, but also to improve the practical application of ICT.  Integrating the online tools used beyond the classroom into the educational process prepares students for the digital needs of workplace, embracing the latest online technology to aid creativity, communication and collaboration in education.

Webanywhere can help close the skills gap in ICT, as well as saving time for teachers and saving money for schools, by providing the tools with which to develop the digital classroom.  Contact us on 0800 862 0131 to find out more, or send us an email

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