Survey reveals 6 out of 10 teenagers believe they deserve
better technology education
02 November 2012,
Slough, UK – Current technology education in
schools is not good enough, according to new data released in the
2012 Realtime Generation Report, published by Logicalis UK today.
That’s just one finding in a survey of almost 1,000 13-17 year olds – The Realtime
Generation - revealing the digital behaviours, technology ambitions
and opinions of UK teenagers today.
In the report, undertaken by UK teen website
clubdtv Ltd, and commissioned by Logicalis UK, 60% of UK teenagers
felt that the government should provide them with better technology
education, with 44% fearing that poor IT education will block them
from getting a good job in the future.
The call for improving IT education for future
job prospects comes from the most digitally connected members of
our society, the survey finds. The report reveals that 70% now use
Facebook and Twitter to connect with parents and grandparents.
The next stage in this generation’s Facebook
and social media habits is firmly on building better family
connections. With 4 in 10 believing the older generation is cut off
from their digital world, 77% are actively helping their parents
and grandparents online and get social.
The full report is available to download at
http://www.uk.logicalis.com/knowledge-share/uk-realtime-generation-report.aspx.
Further findings from the report include:
IT Education Vital to Career
Prospects
Only 20% of teens feel technology education is good
enough
- 60% of UK teens felt that the
government should provide them with better technology
education.
- 44% fear that poor
technology education will block them from getting a good job in the
future. Almost 8 in 10 (77%) of those that have considered a career
believe good technology skills will make a positive difference to
their employment prospects.
- 1 in 5 want to work in the
IT industry and over 50% believe technology will play a key role in
whatever job they chose.
- More than 1 in 10 have already
programmed a computer. Of those that have not, 35% know what it
entails while only 25% say that they don’t know what it means.
The results of the survey come at a time when the
government is focused on change for technology education. However,
when it comes to engaging with the Realtimers, just 18% think the
government understands why technology is important to their
generation. Most (63%) think the government is out of touch, with
over half of those teenagers accusing politicians of simply trying
to look ‘cool’ when it comes to technology.
Tom Kelly, MD of Logicalis UK, comments: “The
Realtimers are the most tech-savvy demographic in the UK, so it’s
telling that they believe the current state of IT education is
poor. However, we are starting to see synergy between the students’
need to improve the IT curriculum, and the government’s
actions.
“With 1 in 10 teenagers already getting to grips
with programming, and the positive attitude they’ve shown toward
technology careers and in the workplace, the latest government
initiatives around computer science in schools could prove a great
success with this generation.”
Facebook Bridges Generation
Divide
7 in 10 teens now connect with parents via social
networking sites
- Over 70% of respondents that expressed an opinion
said they used Facebook and Twitter to communicate with parents and
grandparents.
- However, 65% said they still felt better connected
to their friends than to their family through social networks.
- 40% felt their grandparents were being cut off
from the new digital world.
- Almost 8 in 10 teenagers (77%) said that they have
helped a parent or grandparent to access a website.
“Our findings suggest that it is no longer ‘uncool’
to have elder family members as ‘friends’ on Facebook,” explains
Kelly. “In fact, it is now one of their preferred methods of
connecting. For these teens, breaking down the barriers between the
generations means building digital connections to those closest to
them. We are seeing Realtimers actively participating in closing
the digital divide. Not only do they want to connect digitally to
their families, they are not waiting around for someone else to
take the lead.”
Throughout the survey, the Realtime Generation sees
technology as increasingly critical not only for building positive
family relations, but also to their future prosperity and working
lives. This is a recognition in-step with government ambitions for
the digital economy and society. Yet, the two sides are not fully
engaged.
Kelly concludes, “The survey shows there is still a
divide between the digital ambitions of the government and their
investment in our children. If this survey reflects the digital
life for a teenager, there is more to do if the UK’s ambition of
becoming a powerful knowledge economy is to become a reality.
Educating and engaging effectively with this Realtime Generation
could make a significant difference to the economic future of the
UK.”
About Logicalis
Logicalis is
an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a
breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications and
collaboration; business analytics; data centre and cloud services;
and managed services.
Logicalis employs almost 3,000 people worldwide,
including highly trained service specialists who design, specify,
deploy and manage complex ICT infrastructures to meet the needs of
over 6,000 corporate and public sector customers. To achieve this,
Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with technology leaders
such as Cisco, HP, IBM, CA Technologies, NetApp, VMware and
ServiceNow.
The Logicalis Group has annualised revenues of over
$1.2 billion, from operations in the UK, US, Germany, South America
and Asia Pacific, and is fast establishing itself as one of the
leading IT and Communications solution integrators, specialising in
the areas of advanced technologies and services.
The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec
Limited, listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges,
with revenues of over $5 billion.
For more information, visit http://uk.logicalis.com