{"id":1215067,"date":"2025-01-23T10:31:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1215067"},"modified":"2025-01-23T10:31:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:31:34","slug":"addressing-the-digital-skills-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1215067","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the digital skills gap"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The digital skills gap is one of the biggest challenges for today\u2019s workforce. It\u2019s a growing concern for educators, employers, and anyone passionate about helping young people succeed.<\/p>\n

Digital literacy is essential in today\u2019s world, whether or not you\u2019re aiming for a tech career \u2014 yet too many young people are entering adulthood without the skills to navigate it confidently and recent research<\/a> shows that many young people finish school without formal digital qualifications.<\/p>\n

Whilst this challenge is a global one, we\u2019re exploring solutions in England where computing has been part of the national curriculum for a decade and the option of studying for a qualification (GCSE) in computer science is available to many 14-year-olds.<\/p>\n

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The SCARI report<\/a> shows that GCSE computer science isn\u2019t available in every school in England, and even where it is available, only a fraction of students opt to study it. Where GCSE computer science is offered, the focus is not on broader digital skills, but more on programming and theoretical knowledge which, while important, doesn\u2019t support young people with the knowledge they need to succeed in the modern workplace.<\/p>\n

How the Manchester Baccalaureate will help tackle the digital divide<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we\u2019re working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to tackle this challenge head-on. Together, as part of their Manchester Baccalaureate<\/a> initiative, we\u2019re developing a self-paced course and certification to tackle the digital skills gap directly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Raspberry Pi Foundation Certificate in Applied Computing<\/a> is designed to be accessed by any pupil, anywhere. It includes a series of flexible modules that students can work through at their own pace. Targeted at young people ages 14 and up, the certificate covers three stages:<\/p>\n