IT education in China is eclipsing UK efforts

China benefits from millions of engineering graduates, according to Jeff Wu of VanceInfo technologies

China produces millions of IT graduates every year, says Wu

Chinese outsourcer VanceInfo Technologies has provided insight into the way that China produces millions of high-calibre IT graduates every year, at a time when young people studying IT in the UK is in decline.

The outsourcing provider is the first Chinese IT company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Jeff Wu, executive vice president and chief globalisation officer at the company, claims that it is only a matter of time before more Chinese IT companies follow it.

“Being based in China is a real differentiator for VanceInfo,” said Wu.

“One of the reasons for this is the massive talent pool in China – every year we have millions of engineering graduates and this is something you won’t find anywhere other than India.

“This makes a huge difference when comparing China and India with the rest of the world.”

He explained that in Chinese culture, IT is a prestigious discipline that reflects a high social status, and IT workers are financially well rewarded.

Wu is an example of the Chinese IT education system himself, and recalls winning national competitions while at middle school (ages eight to 12).

“I was fortunate enough to be trained as a computer programmer at this age. And it was important to me to win medals in those competitions,” he said.

Wu’s success was an exception rather than the norm when he was at school, about 30 years ago, but today, Chinese students begin to learn programming at an even earlier age.

“If young people are interested in IT and are driven by their parents, they might start programming as early as elementary school, but usually they will begin between the ages of eight and 12,” he said.

Currently, UK students begin to learn computer programming as part of the A-level computer science curriculum. This optional course is typically undertaken by students at 17 or 18.

IT education in China is eclipsing UK efforts

China benefits from millions of engineering graduates, according to Jeff Wu of VanceInfo technologies

There have been calls for the UK’s IT education system to be revamped, with the Royal Society currently conducting an investigation into the way IT is taught in schools.

Dr Andrew Tuson, assistant dean for student recruitment (informatics) at City University London, recently told Computing that coding should be the basic level of IT literacy in schools in the UK.

However, with many of the core technical IT roles in the UK being outsourced to companies in India and China, businesses and IT bodies such as e-skills argue that while technical skills are very important for UK IT students, they must also possess business acumen and wider analytical skills, which Wu concedes may be lacking in China.

“You could argue that in training people to be engineers there is too much emphasis on memorising theories instead of training innovative and creative approach to study,” he said.

“The Chinese education system is producing lots of talent but you could argue this is purely people with an engineering mindset.”

Wu added that VanceInfo Technologies is now looking to make a name for itself in the UK, having opened up local offices as part of its globalisation strategy.

“We want the UK to know that China is here, VanceInfo is here and we can provide lots of services to UK companies,” he said.