Connect with us

Published

on

Britain will struggle to fill the jobs of the future if computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) are not made part of the school curriculum, research has warned.

Demand for jobs that require such skills is estimated to rise by 40% over the next five years – but with only 15% of UK businesses having adopted AI, a report says the country risks falling behind.

Research by Capital Economics suggests teaching AI skills in secondary schools may help fill rising demand for computer science and other such roles, supporting an average of £71bn of economic output annually to 2030.

According to YouGov, 72% of secondary school teachers support making an active effort to increase education and resources around AI and computer science. Without it, 75% fear long-term skill gaps.

But among STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers surveyed, 64% had limited access to computer science resources – rising to 79% when focused on AI.

Secondary school children were also surveyed – and 33% had only heard of AI from sci-fi films and books.

The research was commissioned by Amazon, which worked with futurologist Dr Ian Pearson to compile a list of innovative computer science and AI jobs that could be available in the years ahead.

More from Science & Tech

‘Misconception’ that AI will replace people

Dr Pearson said there was a “misconception” that AI would replace people wholesale in the workplace, insisting humans remained vital to even some of the most futuristic-sounding roles.

Among them are metaverse engineer, AI sports coach, and tech fashion designer.

TOP 10 ‘JOBS OF THE FUTURE’

  • Paramedic drone programmer – an AI expert with medical knowledge to ‘teach’ drones to help emergency rescue teams
  • Smart-assisted sports coach – data and AI skills will help coaches measure player performance and welfare, predict outcomes, and adjust tactics
  • AI speech coach – help voice assistants and visual avatars become more realistic
  • Metaverse architect – create environments and activities to entertain people in the virtual world
  • Zero carbon transport planner – design and programme driverless public transport networks
  • Augmented learning technician – use AI and augmented reality to create state-of-the-art tools for teachers and their lessons
  • Agricultural AI engineer – help farm sustainable foods like synthetic meats and insects at faster and grander scales
  • AI creative skills producer – help creators enhance their music and art by learning popular trends
  • Community care technician – use AI to detect loneliness in the community, alerting care workers to who needs their help the most
  • Tech fashion designer – create the next-generation of sustainable smart clothing and wearables, like garments that can react and respond to the weather

“There is no doubt AI will play a vital role in our future,” Dr Pearson added.

“But it’s far more than just the development of the hardware – we need people at every stage of the process to make real progress.

“There is a real misconception around developing technologies, and by putting together this list of future jobs we wanted to illustrate not only where we see AI supporting tomorrow’s world of work, but how vital people are within this process.

“Almost half (47%) of students surveyed said they don’t understand what jobs they can do in the future that involve AI, so we hope that showing them these innovative, exciting jobs, and the skills that are required, we can inspire them to consider roles within technology and computer science.”

Read more:
We put Google’s new AI through its paces

Big Ideas Live 2022

For more on science and technology, explore the future with Sky News at Big Ideas Live 2022.
Find out more and book tickets here

Amazon has also launched a programme for secondary school pupils to create their own Alexa Skill to promote a positive cause in their community.

Alexa Skills are commands that can be assigned to the tech giant’s increasingly ubiquitous voice assistant, most commonly for things like turning on lights and playing music.

Teachers and educators will get access to free lesson plans and material as part of the scheme, and local students have been invited to Amazon’s London HQ for some inspiration.

They were able to take part of activities inspired by some of Dr Pearson’s jobs of the future, including taking shots against an AI-powered robot goalkeeper.

The challenge forms part of Amazon’s wider Future Engineer initiative, which provides bursary schemes, teacher training and online tutorials relating to computer science.

Continue Reading

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

on

By

Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

Continue Reading

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

on

By

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

Continue Reading

UK

Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

Published

on

By

Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

More from UK

google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
Image:
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

Continue Reading

Trending