Entrepreneur cracks the code to help bridge the digital skills gap

Teaching more children how to code will help bridge the digital skills gap, according to the boss of the UK’s largest coding and computer science educator.

But Manny Athwal, founder of School of Coding, said he was concerned that currently just 18% of schools in the UK teach coding to their pupils.

Manny believes coding will be vital in preparing youngsters for the world of work in the future.

Speaking to The Graveyard Shift podcast, Manny said:

“We have seen a massive spike in technology in recent years, but a lot of consumers of tech don’t understand the need to build it or take care of it.

“What we are left with is not enough people to repair or build the technology, and that’s where the current gap is.

“There is a massive challenge with recruitment in the current market place. Here at School of Coding, we can go through seven or eight people before we find the right one.

“That is why we are trying to encourage more people to take up coding – to boost their chances of employment.

“I believe almost any job that you will go into in the future will require coding. But part of the problem at the moment is that only 18% of schools offer coding, which is what we are trying to solve at School of Coding.”

During his appearance on the podcast, Manny touched on many subjects including the importance of getting more women and girls into coding, as well as his own emotional story of how he came to set up his business in Wolverhampton.

Manny can be heard in full on The Graveyard Shift podcast on Friday, February 24. 

The podcast was launched by Shropshire PR and creative agency ROUS+ to shine a light on businesses and individuals in and around Shropshire who are innovators and leaders in their field.