Survey reveals Britain’s tech savvy young people have set their sights on a career in IT & Communications
A new online survey has shed light on the career aspirations of Britain’s young people – and IT & Communications has topped the list with 13% of the children aged 9-14 surveyed who study a STEM subject aspiring to a career in the sector, followed by Science & Technology (10%) and Arts & Culture (10%).
The survey asked more than 2,000 children, aged 9-14, about their experiences of learning STEM subjects at school and career aspirations. It revealed earning as much money as possible is a top priority for young people when making career choices, with 37% of respondents ranking it among their most important considerations. A good work-life balance (36%) and doing something creative (32%) closely follow pay. Even though the generation is growing up with TikTok influencers and reality TV stars, just over one in 10 (11%) said fame is an important consideration.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by energy company Equinor, also found that Computer Science & ICT is considered the easiest STEM subject by Britain’s young people with a quarter describing the subject as ‘very easy’. It far outstripped its closest rivals: Maths (19%), Biology (18%) and Geography (17%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 44% of the digital natives said having more opportunities to play games or computer simulations would make STEM subjects more interesting for them, and 43% said they feel excited when learning something new in computers and digital technology.
Equinor commissioned the survey to mark the first year of its Wonderverse programme being live in schools. Wonderverse is a schools-based, curriculum-linked education programme designed to provide teachers with a suite of high-quality resources which enable students to learn more about where their energy comes from, while also developing vital STEM skills such as problem solving.
Central to Wonderverse is an exciting online simulation game, EnergyTown, where students create and manage their very own city of the future, including looking at what sources of energy we will be using, with a focus on teaching them about the energy transition.
Susan Falch-Lovesey, UK Head of Social Value at Equinor, said: “The UK energy industry is broader than ever today, comprising not just of oil and gas, but a range of clean energies such as wind power, solar power, hydrogen, carbon capture and much more. Likewise, the industry employs a broad spectrum of talent, from operators and technicians to data scientists and city planners – and increasingly, digitisation sits at the heart of what we do.
“We created the Wonderverse programme because we want to encourage young people to consider the wide range of careers on offer in the energy industry and STEM fields more broadly. Our recent YouGov survey has really highlighted to me that this was the right thing to do, ensuring that schools have access to a variety of resources to teach these vital subjects. Hearing that digital skills come so naturally to the next generation fills me with lots of excitement about our talent pipeline and indeed the future of energy.”
In its first year, the Wonderverse education materials have engaged more than 80,000 young people, having generated more than 8,000 downloads across over 700 schools. The EnergyTown game has so far generated more than 89,000 gameplay sessions averaging 11 minutes of play – combined, young people have spent 679 days learning the skills and science behind the energy transition through the game.
We Are Futures, a specialist agency that builds advocacy for brands with young people, through social impact, developed the Wonderverse platform, game and resources with Equinor. The suite of high-quality learning resources have been awarded a green tick by the Association for Science Education (ASE), assuring the programme’s quality for use in schools.
Luke Burley from We Are Futures added: “From audio and video content to online games, it’s important to use a wide variety of teaching methods to ensure lessons are as accessible and engaging for children as possible. The EnergyTown game is a fun way to get kids thinking about our energy system and the challenges that city planners face, and the response from teachers so far has been very encouraging.”
For more information about the Wonderverse programme, please visit: www.wonderverselearning.com.