Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have graduated with a degree in ICT & Computer Science in each year since 2010.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on students obtaining qualifications from UK Higher Education Institutions. The latest statistics refer to the academic year 2016/17 and can be found at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/11-01-2018/sfr247-higher-education-student-statistics/qualifications.
The numbers of first degree qualifiers in computer sciences subjects from the academic year 2010/11 onwards are provided in the table below:
First degree qualifiers1 in Computer Sciences subjects2
UK Higher Education Institutions, academic years 2010/11 to 2016/17
Academic year | Number of qualifiers |
2010/11 | 14,505 |
2011/12 | 15,225 |
2012/13 | 15,565 |
2013/14 | 16,080 |
2014/15 | 15,595 |
2015/16 | 15,280 |
2016/17 | 16,805 |
Source: HESA Student Record
Notes
In relation to increasing the number of students studying for a degree in ICT and computer science, the government is undertaking a range of initiatives to promote digital and computing skills throughout the education system. For example, the government is investing £84 million of new funding over the next five years to deliver a comprehensive programme to improve the teaching of the computing curriculum and increase participation in computer science GCSE.
The government is also seeking to strengthen the role that higher education providers can play in providing digital and computing skills. This will be through supporting the establishment of a new Institute of Coding to serve as a national focus for improving digital skills provision at levels 6 and 7 with a £20 million fund to improve higher-level digital skills, with joint collaborations between universities and businesses, and to focus on computer science and digital skills in related disciplines. This will ensure the courses better meet employers’ needs.
Additionally, there is funding to support universities to develop conversion courses in engineering and computer science that allow graduates from other subjects to undertake further study and pursue careers in engineering and computer science.