The Tech Pipeline: Investigating Educational Pathways into the Tech Sector in England. A Summary Report
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| Title: | The Tech Pipeline: Investigating Educational Pathways into the Tech Sector in England. A Summary Report |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Michael Scott, Maria Pia Iocco, Luke Bocock, Sarah Tang, Contributor, Juan Manuel Del Pozo Segura, Contributor, National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) (United Kingdom) |
| Source: | National Foundation for Educational Research. 2025. |
| Availability: | National Foundation for Educational Research. The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2DQ, UK. Tel: +44-1753-574123; Fax: +44-1753-637280; e-mail: enquiries@nfer.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.nfer.ac.uk |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 24 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | The Hg Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Technology Education, Education Work Relationship, Foreign Countries, Employment Qualifications, Computer Science Education, Information Technology, Apprenticeships, Career and Technical Education, Bachelors Degrees, Masters Degrees, Computer Software, Information Systems, Outcomes of Education, Salaries, Disproportionate Representation, Sex, Ethnicity, Low Income Students, Labor Market, Educational Attainment, Student Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| ISBN: | 978-1-916567-45-0 |
| Abstract: | This is one of a suite of reports on changes in UK tech hiring, future opportunities in the sector, and education pathways into tech jobs. This report presents the findings of secondary data analysis, completed by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) in 2025, on the tech pipeline. It sits alongside a longer technical report of this analysis, as well as another report on past trends and future predictions for UK tech hiring. Educational pathways into jobs in the tech sector are critical for the UK economy, as well as for social mobility. This report looks at how those pathways support entry into the tech workforce (primarily in England). It then reviews the extent to which there are disparities between different groups (defined by gender, ethnicity, and disadvantage) within the education pipeline, as well as within the tech sector. It does this by analysing education and employment data. To review the whole pipeline, much of the analysis looks at a specific cohort--those aged 28 in 2019/20--although more recent data too, looking at associations and not causal effects. The report shows that people who study qualifications in tech subjects are more likely to subsequently work in the tech industry and also tend to earn more than their peers who studied other subjects, despite the fact that those who do tech qualifications at some levels have lower levels of prior attainment. This suggests tech qualifications can be a driver of social mobility, as well as creating pathways into tech jobs that are critical to the UK economy. It is important that people from all backgrounds can access opportunities in the digital economy, but this research suggests some groups, particularly girls, are less likely to engage in tech subjects and less likely to progress into tech jobs when they do. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679711 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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