Impact Report 2023/24: The skills that matter

With technology continuing to play a pivotal role in the global economy, the apparent lack of digital skills within the future workforce is a hot topic to say the least.

According to estimates from the World Economic Forum, 150 million new technology jobs will be created worldwide in the next five years. By 2030, 77% of jobs will require digital skills.

The digital skills gap is already costing the UK economy up to £63 billion a year, so industry is quite rightly concerned. Research from CapGemini and LinkedIn identified that 57% of organisations surveyed acknowledge the gap is widening and 54% said they had lost competitive advantage due to talent shortages.

It’s also on the minds of teachers and parents. CapGemini’s 2023 report, ‘Future-ready education: Empowering secondary school students with digital skills,’ reports that 59% of teachers and 68% of parents surveyed agreed that their students or children need digital skills to be prepared for future entry into the workforce. The report emphasises the vital role of digital skills in all professions and the importance of teaching these skills to prevent students from being disadvantaged both in their careers and in society.

This is echoed by the Pearson Schools Report 2024, which states that 60% of educators believe that “today’s education system does not set pupils up with the skills needed to thrive,” and just 7% believe that there is “enough digital emphasis to prepare learners for their futures.”

These stark statistics highlight a critical gap in our education system. As digital tools and technologies become increasingly integral to both personal and professional environments, the lack of focus on these areas within the curriculum could leave students at a disadvantage in a competitive, tech-driven world.

Perhaps it’s no surprise to learn that those already facing disadvantage are most likely to be negatively impacted. The CapGemini report states, “As technology transforms every aspect of our lives and the world is rapidly shaped by artificial intelligence, students who are digital-, data-, and media-literate will have a significant advantage over their peers.”

It’s a concern shared by Apps for Good partners. James Turner, CEO of The HG Foundation said, “There continues to be a massive shortage of tech skills and significant blockages in the talent pipeline for those from under-resourced backgrounds. To address these interwoven challenges, we need to ensure young people are inspired and enthused by the possibilities of tech early on, seeing it as relevant, engaging and a pathway they could pursue.” Charlotte Helena Mukungu, Head of Philanthropy for EMEA, APAC and LATAM at BNY, agreed: “As technology continues to reshape our world, cultivating the digital skills of future generations is essential to building a more resilient and inclusive future.”

So, given the scale of the problem, does the current education system meet the need?

Research from the Prince’s Trust warns of a "digital skills crisis". It reveals that "over a third of young people are not studying a ‘digital or tech’ subject beyond Key Stage 3" and that young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) "are more likely not to study a relevant subject compared to their peers (43 % versus 34%)". The Prince’s Trust found that over a quarter (27%) of young people who were not studying a relevant subject said they were not offered it, and one in five (20%) said that they were not encouraged to do it.

Digital literacy is the foundation of Apps for Good - simply by taking part, students are using technology to participate and communicate with each other, but the real benefit is when students are introduced to more sophisticated digital skills, including computer programming, which will meet the needs of the digital economy and our future workforce.

But it’s not all about ‘digital’. At Apps for Good, we believe that digital skills alone are not sufficient. There is a growing body of evidence showing the importance of essential skills to success in life and work - skills described by the Skills Builder Partnership in its recent report, ‘Essential Skills Tracker 2024’ as “those highly transferable skills that everyone needs to do almost any job, which make knowledge and technical skills fully productive”. Integral to our approach is a dual skills set of digital and essential skills, that will have the greatest impact on young people and their future career prospects.

Our introductory computing courses help students navigate a complex landscape of facts and misinformation, reality and illusion, neutrality and bias and equip them with the skills to thrive. By teaching computing in a context, we inspire young people to become digitally informed and socially engaged citizens.

Learning essential skills is embedded in our courses, using Skills Builder’s Universal Framework. Skills Builder’s eight non-technical essential skills include: Communication (Listening and Speaking), Creative Problem Solving (Problem Solving and Creativity), Self-Management (Staying Positive and Aiming High) and Interpersonal (Leadership and Teamwork). All sessions within our courses are designed with one or two essential skills in mind, and the resources used by students clearly indicate which skill(s) they are developing in that session’s activities. The development of essential skills provides a solid foundation to enable students to bring their digital skills to life.

By teaching digital skills alongside essential skills, students are more prepared for the digital economy, encouraging them to be confident and engaged digital citizens, seeing technology as a desirable - and achievable - career option, changing the world for the better. As James Turner of The Hg Foundation continued, “Apps for Good’s programmes are at the vanguard of opening young people’s eyes to tech before their options are closed down.”

Our impact on computing skills

It’s not enough to design our courses with computing and essential skills in mind. We want to assess whether students are actually developing these skills - and identify areas for improvement if they aren’t. We do this through surveys, and this year have tweaked the way we ask about skills to ensure the students understand what we’re asking them.

In line with previous years, our 2023/24 survey data indicates that, for the majority of students taking part, Apps for Good courses develop their computing skills as well as influencing their feelings and behaviours in computing lessons. 81% of respondents reported improvements in their computer programming skills and 71% said they felt more determined to learn in computing lessons following the course.

Qualitative data gathered from interviews and focus groups with teachers and students also highlights the development of computing skills. Ruthie, a S2 student at Speyside High School in Scotland, said that this course gave her an opportunity to really extend her coding experience: “I had hardly ever coded anything properly before. I had done one or two little things, but not anything big that was fully interactive.” The practical, hands-on nature of the course helps make the course engaging but also relevant for young people, as explained by Stephen Devisme, a teacher at Morgan Academy: “I'm really happy with the software [App Lab on code.org] because for some of them it will be the first time they experience this design process, and they can relate to the platform because it's a mobile phone display. For them, it becomes quite relevant to their own experience on their device.”

Our impact on essential skills

When it comes to essential skills, our survey data shows significant improvements for all eight Skills Builder skills. We asked students to reflect on each skill in turn, and whether it had improved as a result of the Apps for Good course. For each statement, at least 62% of respondents agreed. While the vast majority (86%) reported improvements in at least four of the eight skills, the impact on teamwork and creativity was particularly pronounced. Feedback collected through interviews sheds some light on which aspects of the course contribute to these improvements.

83% of respondents reported improvements in their teamwork

A year 8 team from Daubeney Academy said that this skill was developed through distributing work and working through problems. Sneha said they learned “how to coordinate and separate to do different things, and spread it all so there's not one person doing it all”, and said that although there were challenges, “it's really nice when you come together as a team and try and find solutions and things that can help.” Olivia, an S1 student from Dunoon Grammar School, said that the teamwork element had added to her enjoyment of the course: “I'm always working alone, I don't like working in groups, but this made it really enjoyable to be in groups.”

80% reported improvements in their creativity

Leigha, also from Dunoon Grammar School, noted that the space and independence to come up with their own app idea led to her developing this skill: “I liked brainstorming ideas for the app [...] I think that I did develop creativity skills, because I'm the one who came up with the app idea.” Manar, year 8 at The St Marylebone CE School, also said the ability to be creative was a particularly enjoyable part of the course: “I enjoyed that I was able to let my creativity run wild, and I could really show how I felt with my app ideas. It was a really fun experience.”

Almost three quarters of survey respondents reported improvements in their problem-solving as a result of the course, and this is an impact particularly valued by Leonie Molloy, Head of Year 7 & Geography Teacher at Denbigh High School. She said that the problem-solving mindset benefits students outside of the computing classroom: “We've noticed that students are left a lot more resilient and a lot more introspective, and looking at how they might solve their own problems.”

For each essential skill, the proportion reporting improvements increased in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23. It’s exciting to see this notable impact on essential skills being maintained - and deepened - as we continue to grow and reach more young people. Connor Llewellyn, Senior Associate at the Skills Builder Partnership (which accredits our courses at Impact Level 3 and 4) said, "It’s interesting to see the findings obtained by Apps for Good on young people's perceptions of their essential skills. They provide insight into the fantastic provision on offer that truly brings the essential skills to life for students in the world of STEM, where these skills for success are often overlooked."