More girls chose to take A-level computing this year, despite fewer students taking the subject overall.
The number of girls who took A-level computing increased by 3.5% this year, compared with 2024, meaning girls accounted for 18.6% of computing entrants in 2025.
But the overall number of students choosing to take computing A-levels declined by 2.8% this year, after a number of years of increased interest in the subject – meaning a drop in the number of boys choosing the subject this year.
Ian Thomas, chief operating officer at IT service provider Node4, said: “It is disappointing to see that the number of students studying computing has fallen by 2.8% this year, especially as 93% of mid-market organisations in the UK report they are experiencing an IT skills shortage.”
Thomas highlighted: “It is essential that educational institutions nurture the interest young people naturally have for technology. Today’s students have grown up with technology, with mobile phones and computers readily available, and more often than not, they are the ones called upon to help with IT issues at home.
“However, this passion isn’t converting into chosen career paths. This suggests that there is a disconnect between school curriculums and real-world technological developments, which is failing to engage the younger generations.”
The number of students taking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects has dropped in general this year. While maths, further maths and physics all saw an increase in candidates taking exams this year, the increases were far smaller than we saw last year.
But the sixth-year increase in the number of girls choosing to take computing at A-level is a positive trend. The number of girls taking A-level computing in the UK has been rising each year, from 1,797 in 2020, to 2,031 in 2021, 2,352 in 2022, 2,765 in 2023, 3,556 in 2024, and now 3,679 in 2025.
I’m excited that young women are seizing their future in greater numbers – especially in areas like AI where diversity is vital to ensure decisions and outcomes are good for everyone. We need this momentum to accelerate Julia Adamson, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT also found the number of women choosing computing at degree level increased this year.
Julia Adamson, BCS executive director for education and public benefit, said: “I’m excited that young women are seizing their future in greater numbers – especially in areas like AI [artificial intelligence] where diversity is vital to ensure decisions and outcomes are good for everyone. We need this momentum to accelerate.”
Grade attainment for A-level computing rose again this year, with girls – as usual – achieving higher grades than boys. Some 7.1% of female candidates achieved A* in the subject, compared with 5.7% of male candidates.
Girls performed better than boys at every grade attainment level: 72.4% of female students achieved at least a C grade, compared with 69.7% of male students; 52% of female students achieved at least a B grade, while only 48.1% of male students achieved at least a B; and 28% of female students achieved at least an A grade, compared with 24.5% of male students.
Overall, 70.2% of students who took the computing exam achieved at least a C grade, 48.9% achieved at least a B grade, and slightly more than a quarter achieved at least an A, showing an increase in attainment of higher grades this year when compared with last year.
While those taking exams performed well, many have shown concern over the slowing uptake of STEM subjects this year, as well as the drop in A-level computing candidates, especially in the wake of rapidly developing technology such as AI, which requires an increasing number of skilled and diverse workers to ensure this technology serves everyone.
Heather Dawe, chief data scientist, UK, and head of responsible AI at digital transformation company, UST, said: “It’s promising to see the number of young women taking A-level computing increase year-on-year, reflecting real progress in closing the gender gap through inclusive education and early STEM programmes.
“More women in tech will bring a diversity of perspectives that drive innovation and result in fairer, more inclusive digital technologies for everyone. At the same time, the overall decline in candidates highlights the need for further action to ensure everyone can benefit from and contribute to the digital age.
“Schools, governments and industry alike need to examine the latest data to identify the gaps and take the necessary steps to strengthen the UK’s tech ecosystem as a whole.”
Of course, this deal is only meant for new customers. Not boring ol’ existing customers. If you already have basic HBO Max, you’re already paying $11 for the same service, and HBO would like you to keep doing that. Streaming apps are banking on you being complacent and happy in your streaming life. Maybe they’re even taking you for granted.
Sometimes you can get the current deal just by threatening to cancel, or actually canceling, your account. Suddenly, you’re an exciting new customer again! Another method is by using an alternate email account (perhaps your spouse’s or roommate’s?) and alternate payment information as a new customer. If you do use a burner email (you did not hear this from me), check in on your favorite app’s terms of service to make sure you’re not in violation by re-enrolling with different emails. I’ll also issue the caveat that you lose all your viewing data and tailored suggestions if you sign up anew.
But times and wallets are tight! And $3 HBO Max sounds pretty good. After all, every middle-aged American man needs to rewatch The Wire once every five years or so—assuming he’s not the kind of middle-aged man who rewatches The Sopranos instead. Here are the current best streaming deals for Cyber Monday 2025.
The UK and Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG) Connect 25 conference has opened in Birmingham with a keynote session recognising the challenges business face.
The user group itself has adapted to changes in the technology market such as the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in business applications and the economic climate that has a profound effect on its members’ ability to deliver value with enterprise technology.
In his keynote presentation, Conor Riordan, chair of UKISUG, said: “As an organisation, we have to change, to position ourselves as we move from the old to the new.”
The user group has a 2030 plan, recognising the shifts in enterprise software. For instance, there is the shift to no-code and low-code tooling, which has implications on the agility of enterprise software development. Riordan noted that the current business climate and geopolitical volatility means that there is a huge pressure to reduce costs, leading to cuts in training budgets and the challenge of delivering more with less, adding: “We need to have process change.”
Moving to a future where organisations are using data to make more dependable decisions, Riordan noted that SAP is moving to a dynamic ecosystem of applications and AI, but the challenge is how quickly businesses can start taking advantage of the AI now available in their business applications. “We see members say SAP AI will help them,” Riordan said.
But many are concerned how the new technology now available will deliver a return on investment (ROI). For Riordan, IT decision-makers need to be wary of tackling the so-called low-hanging fruit, the use cases that the industry sells to the executive team: “It is really complex work, and the low-hanging fruit is not that low hanging. It will take years, not months, to deliver value.”
A poll of delegates at the conference found that 78% of respondents are just getting started with AI, while 29% say their AI initiatives have under-delivered.
“This stuff is not easy,” Riordan said, adding that the challenge is one of process re-engineering and culture change, and that he believes humans need to be at the centre of decision-making. “We ask partners to be reasonable in their productivity claims so we can all succeed together.”
TheValue of AI in the UK: Growth, people & data from SAP and Oxford Economics, which was published in October 2025, notes that customers are investing £16m in AI on average this year. The report’s authors predict this will increase by 40% within the next two years. However, the theme coming out of the keynote session at Connect25 is that few companies are really using AI.
Another big topic covered during the keynote is the end of support for SAP products. With SAP’s 2027 maintenance deadline for SAP ECC 6.0 fast approaching, many organisations are now embarking on their migration journey to SAP S/4Hana. More than half (54%) of respondents said that gaining access to SAP’s AI offerings will influence their future deployment of SAP.
Among attendees of Connect25, 49% said they are working towards the 2027 deadline. Riordan called on SAP to help customers to move to the cloud and build a tangible business case.
During her keynote speech, Leila Romane, managing director of SAP UK & Ireland, spoke about the AI opportunity, saying: “We are helping customers unleash new value with business AI.”
SAP’s strategy is to drive business value through the power of AI, data and its enterprise applications, with the SAP Cloud integral in SAP’s strategy to deliver AI-enablement across its enterprise software suite. Romane said SAP recognised that its customers were all at different stages of their cloud journey, adding: “Our commitment is to help you move.”
Analysis from GlobalData is forecasting that fixed wireless access (FWA) service revenue in Hong Kong is expected to increase at a “healthy” compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% between 2025 and 2030.
The latest Hong Kong Total Fixed Communications Forecast set out to quantify current and future demand and spending on mobile services for the special administrative region of China. It noted that growth was being driven by Hong Kong’s extensive 5G network coverage and could also be attributed to local operators’ efforts to expand FWA services and position it as an alternative to traditional fibre broadband services for both residential and commercial sectors, meeting growing demand for high-speed connectivity in areas where extending fibre lines is challenging.
“High-density urban and suburban centres of Hong Kong create a strong business case for FWA services due to their cost-effective and rapid deployments without the complex infrastructure and civil work required for extending fibre-optic lines to such locations,” said Neha Misra, senior analyst at GlobalData.
“Competitive, feature-rich plans from the operators will also help drive its adoption over the forecast period. For instance, HKBN’s 5G Home Broadband Plan provides unlimited 5G broadband data (subject to a 300GB with a fair-usage policy) for HKD118 per month on a 24-month contract, along with a seven-day trial guarantee. The plan also includes a waiver of the HKD28 monthly administration fee and complimentary access to the basic HomeShield security plan.”
In addition to HKBN, the study noted that operators such as 3 Hong Kong and HKT are also using their extensive 5G networks to offer home broadband services, particularly in areas with limited fibre infrastructure. It cited HKT as recently having successfully deployed mmWave-based FWA to deliver ultra-high-speed internet to rural areas and outlying islands.
“Growing demand for FWA provides operators a strong revenue opportunity by expanding home and SME broadband without the high capital intensity of fibre roll-out,” Misra added. “By leveraging nationwide 5G coverage, introducing competitively priced service plans and bundling digital home services, operators can unlock higher ARPU [average revenue per user], accelerate market penetration in underserved areas and diversify beyond traditional revenues.”
GlobalData believes the Hong Kong government’s smart city initiatives will also open new opportunities for FWA, especially 5G FWA, which can deliver high-speed internet to power applications such as the digital economy, digital governance and e-health services, while supporting the city’s dense urban environment and digital transformation goals under the Smart City Blueprint 2.0.
The original blueprint was set out in December 2017, outlining 76 initiatives under six smart areas, namely Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government and Smart Economy. Blueprint 2.0 puts forth more than 130 initiatives that continue to enhance and expand existing city management measures and services. The new initiatives aim to bring benefits and convenience to the public so that residents can better perceive the benefits of smart city innovation and technology.
Sports1 week ago
Entertainment1 week ago
Politics1 week ago
Politics1 week ago
Tech6 days ago
Fashion1 week ago
Tech1 day ago