Scottish Labour has pledged to increase digital training within the faculty curriculum as a method of fixing the tech expertise pipeline.
The occasion has vowed to make sure Scottish college students are amongst “probably the most digitally literate on this planet” after information emerged to point out the low uptake of computing science courses in colleges when in contrast with different topics.
New statistics from the Scottish {Qualifications} Authority have revealed that round 700 pupils took superior highers in computing science this yr, meanig the topic ranked because the thirteenth hottest alternative behind topics like artwork and design, music and PE.
This meant solely an extra 10 college students sat the examination in comparison with 2022, regardless of the rising demand for tech expertise within the Scottish economic system within the two years since.
Computing science additionally proved much less in style on the nationwide 5 degree, rating because the sixteenth hottest alternative behind sensible woodworking and cookery.
In the meantime, in response to the UK’s newest employer expertise survey, Scottish employers are struggling to fill a minimum of 11,000 jobs requiring digital expertise, which quantities to virtually 1 / 4 of the entire variety of skills-shortage vacancies.
Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour’s spokesperson on training, stated: “Scotland has been the house of latest expertise for hundreds of years, however quite than planning for the digital future it appears the SNP is caught within the analogue age.
“We’ve got to make sure Scotland’s youngsters are geared up for the trendy world and the office.
“Scotland as soon as led the world in training – we will achieve this once more, and we will guarantee youngsters in Scotland are among the many most digitally literate on this planet.
“Labour will unfold alternative for all and ensure the subsequent era will get an improve with the computing expertise they want to reach the trendy world and create a greater future.”
Labour’s pledge builds on its blueprint to deliver economic growth, which it launched in February.
As a part of that plan the occasion positioned technological innovation on the coronary heart of financial restoration, saying it will repair the “persistent” expertise scarcity by measures such because the retention and relocation of tech graduates.
In the present day’s pledge additionally comes after Mark Logan, the Scottish Authorities’s chief entrepreneurial adviser, referred to as out Scotland’s training our bodies for not believing the topic was in “a dynamic disaster”.
Giving proof to the Schooling, Kids and Younger Folks Committee at Holyrood, he highlighted the “dangerous static image” inside the computing science instructing workforce.
He stated: “It’s not an excellent image. It’s worse than that as a result of there are a bunch of faculties that solely have one computing science instructor. So, let’s not idiot ourselves: that’s not likely a computing science provision in these colleges.”
During the last 15 years the variety of computing research academics in Scotland has plummeted by 1 / 4, with solely 16 recruited into the career final yr.
The Scottish Authorities additionally got here beneath hearth earlier this yr over failing to shut the tech expertise hole.
In a debate on the movement Scotland as a Technology Nation, Labour MSP Daniel Johnson and Tory MSP Brian Whittle criticised innovation minister Richard Lochhead, for failing to gauge the shortfalls in training which “underpin” and are “on the coronary heart” of the tech trade.
And Tory MSP Stephen Kerr accused the minister of “complacency on an industrial scale”.
