Schools failing to engage female pupils in technology
SCHOOLS are failing to engage female pupils in digital technologies with the result that many are turned against the industry as a career, a conference in Birmingham heard.
The role that schools play in nurturing creative talent was at the centre of Birmingham City University’s annual Rethink Media conference.
Leading figures in the media and technology sectors were among the delegates attending the conference, which was convened to discuss the future of the digital landscape and the challenges facing the sector.
Rahul Chakkara, head of digital for Talk Talk, said: “Schools need to fix the fact that technology is not being made aspirational for females. Half of the talent is being lost at school level.”
The conference heard a new survey by Cadbury parent Mondelez International, had found that a third of 14-18 year-olds are being pushed into non-STEM subjects, while only one in five A-level physics students are female – a proportion that has not improved in 20 years.
Rethink Media host and Gadget Show presenter Jason Bradbury emphasised that for the digital landscape to move forward, there needed to be an appreciation that arts and technology go hand in hand.
“Schools need to be concentrating on STEAM, with the ‘A’ being for arts, rather than just focusing on STEM, so that we can address the issues facing the creative and tech industries too,” he said.
“If you think we’ve seen massive technology advances in the last 10 years, the next 10 will be like 1,000 years.”
Both of the speakers were joined by former Google director Frank Golding and the BBC’s Director of Future Media, Ralph Rivera. The latter pair led keynote discussions on the technological advances which might be coming along in the next few years, along with the BBC’s current priorities.
Speaking on BBC Three’s move to online, Rivera said: “We’re going to be the first broadcaster in the world to shut down a successful TV channel and go online only. It’ll allow us to engage with the audience in a way that we haven’t before. Engaging with people is not about the technology or the strategy, it’s about culture.”
Other speakers at this year’s event included vlogging sensations Lily Pebbles and Anna Gardner, who both draw over 1 million video views to their YouTube channels each month.
The event formed part of Birmingham Digital Week, a week-long series of events highlighting Birmingham’s digital sector.
