School’s out: Teens learn to code outside of School

Coding conundrums are not being solved in the classroom, new study finds

Results from Stack Overflow’s 2022 Developer survey  show 85% of respondents under 18 learn to code outside of school, with online knowledge centres such as videos, blogs and forums now the most popular resources for would-be coders – higher than schools (61%) or books (54%). In the past year, the number of respondents learning to code online in the UK, has increased to 68% (up 11%).

Traditional educational institutions in modern society are struggling to keep up with technological advancements, despite applications for undergraduate computing courses up 16% in the UK and the number of GCSE students sitting their exams increasing to 81,210 in 2022, compared to just 79,964 in 2021 (UCAS data).

Just as the ways people build technology are transforming, so are the ways people learn. Around 40% of people learning to code have not received higher education. Whilst there is, of course, a role for school, college and university education, the pace of technological evolution is often too quick for any curriculum to keep up with.

Putting this into context, over 70% of developers are learning a new language at least once a year. This means that, by the time undergraduates complete their course, the preferred developer language could have changed up to four times.

50% of developers say opportunities to learn in their jobs are important for them, but only 2 in 5 developers receive on-the-job training. To keep up with the pace of change, it’s essential that organisations make learning resources accessible at every stage of their employees’ learning journeys.

The future of career development for engineers and developers relies heavily on knowledge sharing. By making knowledge easily accessible and shareable, employers have an opportunity to play a critical part in providing continuing education to their employees – potentially bolstering retention in the process.

Through providing resources and dedicated time for upskilling and reskilling, companies can foster a culture of lifelong learning in the workplace and help bridge the tech skills gap by investing in their employees’.

If you would like further information about the survey, or would be interested in a piece on how organisations can help break down the barriers to online learning and strengthen recruitment and retention, please let me know.