Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, recently announced plans to overhaul teacher training courses for ICT. He also added that help would be sought from some of the top technology companies, including IBM, Microsoft and Facebook.
At Langley Grammar School, Berkshire, Gove announced his plans to replace the teacher training currently in place with a new model that has support from some of the largest tech companies. Gove explained that computer science was vital to global success for the UK. He added that the best way to achieve this was to have the leading teachers of Computer Science teaching children in the classrooms. The new GCSE computer science course may also be included in the English Baccalaureate qualification.
Gove said:
“If new Computer Science GCSEs are developed that meet high standards of intellectual depth and practical value, we will certainly consider including Computer Science as an option in the English Baccalaureate.”
Gove initially announced planned changes to the ICT curriculum in January, stating that ICT in UK schools needed to be revamped. September 2013 will see the introduction of the new training courses for teachers. Existing teachers of ICT will receive the new training course in order to become Computer Science experts.
Facebook’s director of public policy for UK & Ireland, Simon Milner, stated that the social media company welcomed the changes, helping young people to be able to join the digital sector. As companies increasingly incorporate search engine optimisation into their daily duties, the number of SEO jobs requiring an in-depth knowledge could increase.
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