IT GCSE uptake falls again

Discussion in 'News' started by Kitkatninja, Aug 24, 2008.

  1. Kitkatninja
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    IT GCSE uptake falls again



    GCSE results for 2008 show uptake for the IT GCSE is in steady decline. Some 85,599 UK students sat the exam this year, compared with 99,656 in 2007.

    Uptake in 2007 had already fallen from the previous year, with 109,601 students taking an IT GCSE in 2006. Around 25 per cent of students got a grade D in 2008 making it the most commonly awarded grade for the second year running.

    Rob Chapman, CEO of IT training company Firebrand, believes there needs to be a shift in the way a career IT is perceived. "When you look at the skills gap and how IT is paid you would think students would realise that studying IT means they are likely to get a job and are likely to be paid well. There's also this perception that IT workers are fat, smelly, hairy, and wear sandals. People don't seem to realise that developing applications for Facebook is a job in IT."

    Read the whole story here.

    However on a personal note, IT or ICT taught in school's aren't really what we here would call "IT". About 80-90% of this is actually how to use the PC, the office suite in particular, with a touch of either Dreamweaver or Frontpage.

    -Ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
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Comments

    1. NightWalker
      NightWalker
      I would like to confirm for the record, I am am IT worker, I am not fat, smelly, hairy, and I have never owned a pair of sandals.
    2. wizard
      wizard
      I admit that I only got an E in the subject many moons ago, only because I was lazy and decided to start my project with about a week to go before the deadline :D
    3. Mathematix
      Mathematix
      Does GCSE IT differ from GCSE Computing?
    4. jimmy_2k
      jimmy_2k
      They didn't do it at my School so I left and went to my local college. They are trying to get more students into 6th form now.
    5. dales
      dales
      eerrrr I dont wear sandles! :biggrin
    6. AJ
      AJ
      The school my kids go to, IT is a complulsary subject, everyone HAS to take it.

      Just had my sons GCSE reults last week and his IT was split into 2 grades and he got and A* and an A :D

      Well chuffed
    7. Shude
      Shude
      When I took my GCSEs (a LONG time ago) there was no specific IT course, at A-level the course was hopelessly out of date and most Universities recommended not taking A-level IT or "computing" as it taught bad habits and wasn't deep enough. I took whatever A-levels I wanted then took Computer Science at Salford Uni.
    8. nugget
      nugget
      I'd say that some of these perceptions are correct. You'd be amazed at the ammount of overweight IT workers there are.


      Yes, developed by fat, smelly, hairy, sandal wearing programmers.:twisted:


      All joking aside though this means that people already in IT will be in more demand. Can only be a good thing for us.
    9. Qs
      Qs
      Exactly the same for me - I didn't take IT A-Level due to the fact Maths + Physics was a far preferred combination for getting onto a computer science degree.
    10. derkit
      derkit
      Didn't see this before - but well done on the kid AJ - definitely a reason to be chuffed!
    11. TruthOrDare
      TruthOrDare
      It is no different at A level either. IT in schools/colleges is pretty much a 2 year advertisment for Microsoft products.

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