10,000 tech work placements for young people as TechFirst opens to every secondary school
Employers including Microsoft, Cisco and IBM will open 10,000 work experience opportunities over three years, and the TechFirst programme now reaches every secondary school, with an ambition of 1 million students by 2028.
Ten thousand young people will get work experience in the digital and tech sector over the next three years, the Government announced on Wednesday, under a drive backed by some of the sector's largest employers. Microsoft, Cisco and IBM are among them, alongside Cognizant, AtkinsRéalis, Arm, Kainos and QinetiQ.
Alongside the placements, the TechFirst skills programme is now open to all secondary schools. The ambition is 1 million students reached by 2028. That date is a year sooner than the one planned before, and 400,000 of the students are to come from the most disadvantaged schools. Students will get workshops, skills sessions, career talks, workplace experiences, tech clubs and inter-school competitions, and access to the Ada Computer Science digital learning platform.
The Government puts the announcement against nearly 1 million young people not in employment, education or training. It is also calling on more employers to join the drive, with an aim of 20,000 entry-level jobs each year, particularly for young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Everyone tells you that you need experience to get a job, but nobody gives you the chance to get that experience in the first placeAndy Burnham, Prime Minister
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said: "It's one of the biggest frustrations when you're starting out. Everyone tells you that you need experience to get a job, but nobody gives you the chance to get that experience in the first place."
He added: "Thousands of young people will get the chance to get their foot in the door in one of the UK's biggest growth sectors, build their confidence and skills, and get something meaningful on their CV."
Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: "Getting a good job in our thriving digital and tech industry shouldn't be determined by where you live or what school you go to. Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not."
The placements launch with the Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan, published the same day. The plan sets out four parts, named Inspire, Open, Deliver and Sustain. It records a projection that sectors backed by the Industrial Strategy will need to fill some 800,000 digital and technology roles over the next decade. Working with industry, it aims for some 200,000 genuine entry-level openings across that decade, apprenticeships among them, and it commits government and employers together to about 20,000 such jobs in each year, delivered through one Skills Deal for employers.
The Ada Computer Science platform will be open to every student between the ages of 11 and 18, delivered in partnership between the UK Government and the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The platform carries curriculum-linked lessons covering everything from coding and AI to cyber security, and from the end of the 2026 to 2027 academic year it will replace the Isaac platform currently funded by the Department for Education as part of the National Centre for Computing Education.
"Every young person deserves the chance to build a career they're proud of, whatever their background and wherever they live," said Baroness Jacqui Smith, the Minister for Skills.
A separate TechFirst Women's programme will support 300 women across the UK. Each will receive mentoring, help to develop skills and a match with a live vacancy, and the aim is a paid role that lasts six months or longer, secured by March 2027. The rollout also builds on the Prime Minister's call to employers to provide an additional 200,000 work experience placements, so that young people have workplace exposure between the ages of 14 and 16.
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