Welsh schools risk falling behind on digital education

Schools in Wales risk falling behind their English counterparts in the field of digital education, it has been warned.The English Curriculum is undergoing changes this year, which will see it made mandatory for primary and secondary school children to study computing and coding from the start of the next academic year.However, a similar plan is unlikely to be put in place in Wales for at least another four years, according to Welsh government advisor Dr Tom Crick, a delay that could leave the country's students at a significant disadvantage compared to England in what is becoming an increasingly digital workplace.With everything from communication channels and administration to training and development moving online and going digital, it is more essential than ever that tomorrow's workforce is well-versed in computing. According to the BBC, a review is currently underway in Wales to consider the future of ICT teaching in the country, however Dr Crick warned that the protracted nature of this process could leave a generation of young people without vital skills."This is a global issue - not just about our competitiveness for Wales," he told the news provider. "We're looking at our competitiveness against other countries who have already made these significant changes and very clear declarations about how they see computing education being very, very important."His sentiments were echoed by the Welsh government's ICT sector panel chairman Tom Kelly, who agreed that people in Wales could miss out on jobs in the future without the necessary IT skills."There will be people coming from outside Wales into Wales who have got the competencies and the skills to be able to fill the jobs in Wales which, in reality should be filled by people in Wales."Virtua College currently provides a host of e-learning courses to more than 2,000 schools throughout the UK, enabling children to learn both technical skills and curriculum subject manner in support of their classes. Our Apprenticeship team is dedicated to working with businesses and colleges to design courses that prepare students for entry into the workplace.