subject: Digital technology and IT "as important as Stem subjects" [print this page] Digital technology and IT should be treated as a priority alongside traditional subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).
According to the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), these new industries are vital for the UK's future economic prosperity.
CIHE released a report last week highlighting the need for the government to pay close attention to digital and IT industries and to take a leading role in the fast-paced global market.
Otherwise, it feared that the UK would trail behind China, the US, Japan and Australia.
It noted that the digital market is set to exceed $3 trillion (1.9 trillion) in revenue over the next four years, with entertainment and the media worth $1.7 trillion.
David Docherty, editor of the report, said that as the government looks to recognise new creative industries above Stem sectors, the UK's universities and businesses must "replicate the initiatives and innovation environments which brought the world Google, Amazon and Facebook".
Ways to boost the industries is to offer research and development tax credits and public investment, the report suggested, as well as create an environment for private sector investment.
The report also suggested that the "inadequate" ICT curriculum in schools could be hindering the future of IT.
It claimed that teaching focuses on word processing and office productivity and does not examine the computing principles of games and internet services, a view that is echoed by Maggie Berry, managing director of womenintechnology.co.uk.
She said that the UK should be at the forefront of the IT industry, but "encouraging young people, both boys and girls into IT, is a huge project and needs a big push".
Ms Berry also highlighted the variety of roles that are available in IT that are not well known.
"There's a huge range of different careers in IT and they could be quite different, but they are still under this one umbrella of working in information technology," she claimed, calling for more education of what careers are available and discouraging the view of IT jobs as seen in TV shows such as the IT Crowd.
"The EU is predicting a skills shortage in the IT sector. We need to be working to prevent that. The UK needs to be generating talent in this area because IT is only going to get bigger and stretches across all different industries," Ms Berry added.
However, Mike Short, O2's vice president of research and development, told the BBC that digital technology requires not only scientific skills but an interest in the arts as well, meaning that the industry will need a different kind of support from that given to Stem subjects.
Digital technology and IT "as important as Stem subjects"
