Parents and carers working in tech think there is room for improvement for the education sector to prepare their children for the future.
According to techUK’s latest survey, 73% of parents/carers in the tech sector believe the AI-enabled future workplace will reduce routine tasks and create new opportunities.
Some 64% expressed optimism or strong optimism about future job opportunities for their children, leaving only 12% feeling pessimistic.
Around half of parents (51%) feel only somewhat confident that schools are equipping students for tomorrow’s job markets, while 27% say they are very unconfident.
Filling the skills gap
One of the main findings is on the balance of skills. Most parents (70%) think that schools are not emphasising human skills like critical thinking and problem-solving enough to prepare their children for a workplace where technology dominates.
Meanwhile, 68% of respondents see a combination of soft skills and technical skills as the ideal preparation for future careers.
Technology integration across the curriculum also appears inconsistent. While 53% believe teachers use technology moderately well in the classroom, 46% feel technology is only moderately integrated into the broader curriculum, and 20% think it is not integrated well at all.
Computing qualifications
Despite the strong emphasis on technology, 59% of children are not taking computing qualifications. However, 69% of parents whose children are taking them consider those qualifications relevant to their future career prospects.
Future-ready
A quarter of parents with a tech background (24%) believe they should expose children to a wide range of career paths, and 18% believe in keeping up to date with emerging technologies so they can guide their children accordingly.
Overall, tech parents are optimistic about their children’s future but their confidence in the education sector to prepare them with the right mix of human and tech skills is not as strong.
Reference
- Education system must adapt to prepare young people for future of work, techUK survey says. Available at https://www.techuk.org/resource/education-system-must-adapt-to-prepare-young-people-for-future-of-work-techuk-survey-says.html (Accessed 11 November 2025)
