The skills issue: Are teachers doing enough?

The message was clear: perceptions about engineering and electronics are changing. Gone are the days it was seen as a 'geeky' and difficult career choice. Companies like Apple, Google and, dare I say it, Facebook are changing all that. Technology is cool again. During my visit, I met several young people that told me they wanted to be the next Steve Jobs, and one girl who said she had aspirations to be the next Bill Gates, with plans to own her own software company by the time she was 25. There's just one thing stopping them: their teachers. Nearly all of the young people I spoke to said they were unhappy with the teaching they received at their sixth form or college. And the majority said that what they were taught was dull, outdated and irrelevant. The comments echo the findings of a recent NEF report mentioned in last week's e-zine, which says outdated skills are still taught in the classroom and new technology is often ignored. For years, when talking about skills, the emphasis has always been on getting more young people to consider a career in engineering. Now it seems it's time to shift that focus and place it on the (seemingly substandard) teaching given in our schools. If we can't challenge and stimulate the younger generation enough now when their passion and enthusiasm is at an all time high, what hope have we as an industry got for the future?