'Tech levels' to plug the skills gap - recruiter
New tech-focused qualifications welcomed by industry
New tech qualifications added to the curriculum this school year could significantly combat the IT skills gap, according to a recruiter that has welcomed their arrival.
Exam board AQA unveiled the so-called "tech levels" - which have equal weighting to A-Levels - last week, in response to the 2011 Wolf Report, which highlighted the lack of vocational courses available to students.
Seven courses are being offered to students as of this academic year: Business Marketing; Design Engineering; Mechatronic Engineering; Power Network Engineering; IT Networking; IT Programming and IT User Support.
Next year, Cyber Security and Entertainment Technology will become available too.
The lack of trained tech staff is a long-term problem in the channel, with many resellers and vendors alike claiming the skills gap is a barrier to their growth.
Recruiter ReThink Recruitment's managing director, Michael Bennett, said the arrival of the new qualifications is great news for the industry.
"The introduction of these courses is extremely encouraging and could make a real difference when it comes to getting youngsters into technology careers," he said. "The sector suffers from well-documented skills shortages and currently we simply don't produce enough specialists to meet the demand, which is only going to increase.
"Current IT and technology qualifications aren't right for the modern market and many individuals aren't leaving formal education with the right employability skills that will help them to land a job, so the launch of these courses is a very good move."
Four years went by between the Wolf Report's publication and the courses being made available to students. Bennett said keeping up with the changing tech landscape is essential when it comes to education.
"We need to ensure that the qualifications are kept relevant and accurately reflect the skills required in the market," he said. "The rate of change in the sector is phenomenal and it's a far cry from what it was as recently as five years ago. If courses aren't regularly reviewed, they could become outdated. This is why it's particularly interesting to see the introduction of a cybersecurity tech level from next year, as we're seeing considerable demand for these experts at the moment."
Microsoft helped AQA design the modules to ensure they prepared students for employment in the field on successful completion.
Carole Bishop, AQA's head of technical and vocational qualifications, said matching the courses to industry requirements was a key focus when thinking up the new courses.
"We felt strongly that designing qualifications with employers in mind wasn't enough - and that it was important to involve the employers right from the start and at every stage of the process," she said. "The input we've had from more than a hundred organisations means we can be really confident that our tech-levels have exactly what employers are looking for.
"These new qualifications are on an equal footing with A-Levels, and we believe employers will start making them a job requirement because they know they'll guarantee the right knowledge and skills."