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NEW STUDY: 1 in 4 adults wish they had been taught coding and graphic design at school 💻
25% of adults wish they had been taught coding and graphic design at school 💻
Matalan has released a new study showing which skills and subjects Brits wish they had been taught in school, revealing that 1 in 4 Brits wish they had been taught coding and graphic design.
As Programmers, Web Designer, Software and Development professionals are on the UK government shortlist, adding these subjects to the curriculum could provide a huge boost to the technology industry as we continue in the digital age.
The study by Matalan surveyed over 1000 adults and worked with The Open University to find out their most popular free courses during lockdown, analysing YouTube search data to find out what skill gaps from school people are now teaching themselves online.
Over 200,000 are searching tech skills on YouTube every month ⌨️
Many people are now turning to YouTube to teach themselves tech skills including coding and graphic design. Every month 126,600 are searching for ‘programming’ tips while 72,400 searched a month for ‘graphic design’ and 59,200 searched for ‘coding’.
The study found that 25% of people wish they had learnt about coding and graphic design at school. 45-54 year olds are most in need of lessons in technical creativity with 27% saying they wish this had been on the curriculum when they were in school.
Londoners want coding and graphic design on the curriculum the most, with 30% saying they think it should be on the curriculum
What the UK wish they’d been taught in school 🏫
The findings of the study also highlight that there are key areas of life as an adult that people feel school simply doesn’t prepare them for. While core subjects like English and maths are incredibly important, this study shows that many people feel there is a need for education on things that have a real-world application.
The top 10 skills and subjects Brits wish they’d been taught in school
Rank
Subject
Percent of Brits
1
Self-confidence & mental health management
81%
2
Money management & investing
67%
3
Critical thinking skills
28%
4
Public speaking
27%
5
Coding & graphic design
25%
6
Conflict management
24%
7
Relationship values
21%
8
Creating positive relationships with food
17%
9
Internet safety
15%
10
Gender and LGBTQ+ education
7%
15% of adults wish they had learnt internet safety at school
The study also found that while 15% of adults overall wish they’d been taught internet safety, women (17%) said they were more in need compared to men (11%). 35-44 year olds and people 55 and over are the most in need of education on internet safety, with 15% of each age group saying they wish they were taught about it at school. 16-24 year olds feel most confident with internet safety as only 8% of this age group said they wish they’d been taught more.
Jeff Howarth, Director of Marketing at Matalan comments:
“Our study shows there is a significant shift taking place towards a desire to see the curriculum going beyond academic education. While core subjects such as maths and English are vital for young people, it’s clear that life skills that have a real-world application are also essential to preparing our young people for adult life.”
![More Adults Wish They Knew Coding [Infographic]](https://cdn.confessionsoftheprofessions.com/media/2020/10/safar-safarov-laptop-unsplash.jpg "More Adults Wish They Knew Coding [Infographic]")
