Technology Reseller v20 2019

technolog y reseller.co.uk CSR 49 forged links with educational institutions. Volunteers needed Getting industry involved in schools is a major part of The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), an £84 million, government-backed initiative to upskill 8,000 computer science teachers and boost the numbers of young people studying the subject. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT is a member of the consortium behind the NCCE, and one of its responsibilities is to engage industry in schools. BCS Director of Education Julia Adamson says: “We want to encourage industry to get involved, from volunteering, running coding clubs or visiting local schools to talk about their own experiences, just like the team at Morgan Stanley is doing. These young people are our future – we all must ensure that every pupil leaves school with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital world that surrounds them.” many schools,” says Mike, “and this is a case of showing them this aspiration is achievable.” The view of pupil Yahya sums it up: “Seeing people who work in computing in the real world puts it into perspective. I’m going to do A level computer science and see where I go from there.” Plugging the digital skills gap The digital skills gap, and concern that not enough is being done to rectify it, has long been a topic of national debate. According to government figures 1 , around two thirds of large companies and half of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK are experiencing a shortage of skilled IT workers. A recent report from the CBI 2 stated that companies can play a vital part in smoothing the transition from school to work and in helping young people to achieve. Worryingly, its latest figures show a dip in the number of firms who have BCS helps shape industry-funded AI Masters courses The Government has launched a nationwide programme of industry- funded AI Masters courses at UK universities, as part of the AI Sector Deal unveiled in April 2018. The 200 new AI Masters places will be funded by companies, including Deepmind, QuantumBlack, Cisco and BAE Systems. The government’s Office for AI commissioned BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT to look at possible frameworks and models for industry- funded courses in machine learning and AI skills for graduates from STEM subjects. Bill Mitchell, Head of Policy for BCS, said: “We’re delighted that through our communities we’re supporting the Office for AI to develop effective industry- funded Masters programmes in AI and machine learning, which will nurture the diverse, inclusive talent pipeline of ethical AI professionals that the UK needs.” BCS worked in collaboration with the Institute of Coding and consulted with a wide spectrum of industry stakeholders including BT, BAE Systems, Infosys, Lloyds, Deloitte, Amazon, ARM, Nvidia, Microsoft, IBM, McKinsey Quantum Black, DeepMind, Accenture, Ocado, HSBC and Cisco. It also surveyed its own members, especially on the importance of ethics to students, professionals and senior managers. James Davenport, Vice President, Academy Board at BCS and Professor of Information Technology at the University of Bath, said: “AI tools, particularly in the machine learning area, have become much easier to use. But being easy to use isn’t the same thing as being used correctly and it is impossible to make IT good for society if our approach to IT is not ethical. BCS, with its long tradition of requiring ethical principles in every course it accredits, is pleased to see that ethical issues will be included in these MSCs.” Industry-funded AI masters courses are part of a wider government programme to help thousands of graduates become highly qualified AI experts. www.bcs.org 1 Digital Skills for the UK Economy , a report by ECORYS UK, January 2016 2 Educating for the Modern World, CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Annual Report, November 2018 Seeing people who work in computing in the real world puts it into perspective. I’m going to do A level computer science and see where I go from there