Industry cheers Computing A-level uptick

Proportion of girls taking Computing has doubled over last five years, with the number of girls and boys taking STEM subjects also on the rise

The rise in the number of students - and girls in particular - taking Computing and other STEM A-levels has been hailed as a potential tonic for the UK tech industry's painful skills shortage.

According to A-level results released today, the number of students taking STEM subjects has risen by nine per cent of the last five years.

Over the same period, those taking arts subjects has fallen by 20 per cent.

The data, analysed by managed services provider Ensono, also shows progress in the number of girls taking Computing.

This year, 1,475 girls took the subject compared with 9,649 boys - 13.3 per cent of the total. That compares favourably with 11.8 per cent in 2018 and just 6.5 per cent in 2013.

Meanwhile, the number of girls taking science A-levels has overtaken boys for the first time.

"More students than ever are achieving STEM A-Levels, with a nine per cent uptick in these subjects over five years," said Ensono vice president of global product management, Oliver Presland.

"Computing has been no exception and it's especially encouraging to see the proportion of women taking the subject has doubled since 2013."

Presland added that more still needs to be done to encourage girls into Computing and STEM subjects, while others were more openly critical, urging schools to move faster on the issue.

"Another year, another frustratingly small number of girls taking STEM exams compared to their male counterparts. Schools need to step up to show pupils that old-fashioned misconceptions that these subjects are for boys are exactly that - misconceptions," Agata Nowakowska, AVP at Skillsoft, said, according to Education Technology.

"There are great initiatives out there allowing girls to dip their toe into areas such as coding, with Code Girls First being a prime example. These help demystify areas that girls have had very little exposure to. We need to take this model into the classroom, but this is as much about educating teachers, as it is students. Some are unconsciously biased about girls and STEM. The sooner we can make these changes, the sooner we can have more equality, diversity and balance in the world of technology."