A survey by educational tech firm Fire Tech has revealed that the dream jobs of many kids in the UK will need digital skills or competency in technology.

Education Technology magazine reports that the survey quizzed over 2,300 parents to answer on behalf of their children to reveal just how important digital and tech-based education is to support the future careers and ambitions of children. 

Respondents were asked if they had a job that required digital or tech-based skills, to which 65 per cent answered ‘yes’, even when they were in jobs there aren’t directly related to tech or Digital industries. A fifth of parents said they did not work in tech-related roles, but do possess a digital skillset.

On being asked to say what jobs their children said they wanted when they grow up, the top ten were:

1. Doctor – 14 per cent
2. Teacher – 13 per cent
3. Vet – 12 per cent
4. YouTuber – 12 per cent
5. Professional gamer – 9 per cent
6. Digital artist – 6 per cent
7. Musician – 4 per cent
8. Professional athlete –4 per cent
9. Paramedic – 4 per cent
10. Firefighter – 3 per cent

Almost half of the top ten kids’ dream professions are rooted in digital. However, when parents were asked if they think their children’s tech-based education at school was sufficient, only 2 per cent said ‘yes’, leaving 79 per cent feeling their kids are not being adequately taught key digital and tech skills, such as coding.

Jill Hodges, the founder of Fire Tech, said: “I think it is interesting and worrying to hear so many parents feeling they are unsure of how to support their kids to develop the digital skills they’ll need. We have known for years the school curriculum is insufficient; it fails to teach children key life skills they need to be successful in securing a job when the time arrives. 

She added that digital and tech skills are a fun and engaging way to help inspire young people to continue STEM studies and become the next generation of digital leaders.

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