Innovating education: join techUK's new Digital Skills in Education Policy Group!
Join techUK’s Digital Skills in Education Working Group to work with policymakers and wider industry to drive the integration of digital skills and tech literacy across education and the curriculum.
The education system must set young people up for success in a digital world. As new technologies such as AI promise to transform society and jobs, the ability to use these tools effectively and securely will be essential.
That is why techUK is establishing a new Digital Skills in Education Policy Groupto ensure that students leave education equipped for our digital future.
Fewer than half of employers believe young people are leaving full-time education with the digital skills they need for work, and almost a quarter of those who have left school didn’t think their school provided adequate technology training.
It’s an issue for parents too, with one survey finding that 85% of parents think that digital skills should be taught in schools with the same level of importance as reading and writing, 75% think digital skills will have more practical use than subjects like history, and 61% say it would improve their children’s career prospects. Moreover, 76% think a proportion of the school budget should be ringfenced to ensure access to the latest technology.
Digital skills that can be important for young people include things like basic computer skills, coding and programming, social media safety, cybersecurity awareness, and typing skills, as well as literacy in emerging technologies like AI.
The EU AI Act’s Article 4 places emphasis on AI literacy and education specifically, referring to people having the core competencies, knowledge and skills needed to live and thrive in a world that is AI-enabled. That means not just the ability to work with, on, or alongside AI technologies – by, for example, using effective prompts with LLMs – but also the ability to understand what AI is, and isn’t, and when you are experiencing or interacting with AI.
Many of the most important digital skills are overlapping, complementary and reinforcing, underscoring a need to embed digital skills across learning; supported by developing hard to automate soft skills too, like oracy, critical thinking and the ability to adapt and learn.
At the same time, developments in technology have put assessments under the microscope, with some concern around the impact of AI on their integrity. Assessments must be flexible enough to enable students to learn and make use of this technology, whilst ensuring that assessments remain fair for everyone.
As the government undertakes a Curriculum & Assessment Review, techUK is convening this group to discuss how the UK can embed digital skills teaching across the education system – from schools to colleges and beyond – and set young people up for success in a digital world.
Working with educational institutions to embed digital skills and AI literacy in curricula, across primary and secondary education
Exploring principles of generative AI in education
The role of course accreditation
Fostering collaboration between the tech sector and academic researchers to advance tech and AI literacy through joint projects
Supporting initiatives focused on upskilling teachers to teach computing and technology skills
Championing low-cost solutions to embedding digital skills and AI literacy
Academic and assessment integrity in the age of AI
If you’d like to discuss the aims and objectives of the group, or have any questions, please get in touch. And to register your interest, please fill out this very short form.
Skills, Talent and Diversity Programme activities
techUK work with our members to signpost the opportunity of digital jobs and ensure these opportunities are open to people of diverse backgrounds. We strive to help our members attract, recruit, and retain a diverse workforce, whilst showcasing their work on workplace innovation. Visit the programme page here
Survey: How do parents and guardians in the tech sector view education and work?
We are excited to invite you to participate in our latest survey, asking parents and guardians working in tech what the future of work holds for their children and how well our education system is preparing them for the jobs and labour market of tomorrow.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Nimmi Patel is the Head of Skills, Talent and Diversity at techUK. She works on all things skills, education, and future of work policy, focusing on upskilling and retraining. Nimmi is also an Advisory Board member of Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (digit). The Centre research aims to increase understanding of how digital technologies are changing work and the implications for employers, workers, job seekers and governments.
Prior to joining the techUK team, she worked for the UK Labour Party and New Zealand Labour Party, and holds an MA in Strategic Communications at King’s College London and BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Manchester. She is currently taking part in the 2024-25 University of Bath Institute for Policy Research Policy Fellowship Programme.
Jake has been the Policy Manager for Skills and Future of Work since May 2022, supporting techUK's work to empower the UK to skill, attract and retain the brightest global talent, and prepare for the digital transformations of the future workplace.
Previously, Jake was the Programme Assistant for Policy. He joined techUK in March 2019 and has also worked across the EU Exit, International Trade, and Cloud, Data Analytics and AI programmes.
He also holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Sussex, as well as a BA(Hons) in International Politics from Aberystwyth University. During his time at Aberystwyth University, he won the International Politics Dissertation Prize.
Catch-up with all of the discussion and insights from techUK’s recent event, ‘Data, which direction? How can the UK best reform its data protection regime?’.
