I was delighted today to read that the number of youngsters taking GCSE ICT increased by 38% this year to 73,500. Interestingly, although the number of girls taking ICT dropped from 46% to 44%, 30.9% achieved an A or A star compared with 23% for the boys. I've never been able to see why more girls don't go into IT. They are clearly very good at it.
Mind you only 1.3% of the GCSE exams sat were in ICT and only 10.9% of students took ICT. That really is very low. More students took Drama than ICT.
But it is not all good news. Last week's A Level results showed a fall in those taking ICT at A Level. Of course, it is no good taking ICT if you then go on to University but can't get a job at the end. That's why I have been on a crusade to get more entry level jobs in IT for our British boys and girls. We are starting to show some progress, but it is a long hard road.