Impact
Empowering the next generation of changemakers
Our 2023 Impact Journey
As technology continues to transform the way we live and work, young people need tech innovation and essential skills to succeed in their future careers.
We know that technology can help address big social challenges and is most successful when it’s created by those with lived experience.
Schools are under-resourced, yet have such an important role in delivering a computing curriculum that is relevant and engaging to learners.
More than half of the schools we reach face challenging circumstances and our aim is to inspire their students to be part of a new, diverse generation of purposeful tech innovators.
In 2022/23, our courses benefited:
Schools
Young People
Teachers
The skills that matter
The UK tech sector continues to grow, remaining #1 in Europe and #3 in the world, as well as leading the way in values-led innovation. Data suggests 57% of young people want a job that uses advanced digital skills, but one fifth don’t feel they’re getting good enough foundational training from school.
Our courses are designed to equip young people with the digital and essential skills for their future. In fact, 84% of Apps for Good students reported developing more than one essential skill as a result of our courses.
of students reported developing more than one essential skill
of students feel more confident in their computer programming skills
of students feel more confident explaining how technology can help society or act on climate change
of students said their listening skills had improved
of students said their problem solving had improved
of students said their teamwork improved
So the best part was working together as a team. And obviously, like having the sessions come together and put all our ideas together ... .I think it's made me have quite a lot of skills, and it set me up for the future. And I know that if I was to ever do something like this, again, I have the skills that I need to do it.
Before we did Apps for Good, I didn’t know I could actually change the world and make it a better place. It had an impact on me. I feel that Apps for Good really changed my mind about technology, helping change the world.
I definitely say it helped me with my confidence a lot more because I used to be someone who didn't really speak up. But now I'm starting to join a lot more speaking clubs. And now I'm able to talk on a wider variety of issues.
Inspired by Industry
Despite technological change, the career aspirations of young people have changed very little. According to research, nearly half of young people around the world aspire to work in just 10 of the most common professions and there’s a risk they aren’t aware of new digital opportunities.
Being able to link education to the world of work helps young people identify a pathway to a career which appeals to them. Many do not have the opportunity to see themselves represented in the world of work.
Our courses provide Industry Engagement opportunities to give young people role models that are often missing from their everyday lives.
Industry Volunteers signed up to engage with our students
of Showcase students, are more interested in a career in technology as a result of the course
Industry Engagement sessions delivered
Industry engagement helps young people by exposing them to real-world experience and provides them with opportunities to gain practical knowledge. It not only helps them in building connections and networking but also helps them in developing specific skills at an early age.
I'm really interested in engineering and computer science as a whole. And this course just made me want to get a career in computer science.
It was also like challenging in the sense of, we got to talk to a lot of people that we don't usually talk to, so it was good for us… it gave us an opportunity to step outside of our comfort zone, and talk to people about our ideas and express our opinions.
I learned how to present to someone out of school, and I've learned to get the confidence to speak to someone. And I think this would actually very much help me with the future presentations that I do, and any job applications and presentations.
There was a group of girls and their idea was brilliant. It was about an app that would study your skin tone, and give you advice on makeup, according to your skin tone, your race, your ethnicity… They just stood out to me, because they were very intelligent, really switched on. They really had a genuinely good idea.
I can highly recommend volunteering with Apps for Good having done four sessions with different schools this year. The app ideas are amazing and the young people get so much out of our feedback and it's an absolute privilege to be just a small part of their development at such an important age. I'm looking forward to seeing all of their ideas come together in this year's Showcase!
This is such a unique and standout feature of the Apps for Good Course. The mere fact that the students know their ideas will need to be pitched to someone outside of their class drives motivation and gives them a purpose to sharpen their ideas. The session itself immerses the students in an environment similar to a business meeting and so the experience of actively listening to each other and the industry professional is invaluable.
Encouraging Independent Learning
According to Ada, The National College for Digital Skills, ‘Over half of secondary schools in the UK were not even offering computer science as a GCSE in 2021, and the number of 14-to-19 students taking technical IT or computing qualifications has fallen by one-third since 2015.’
With classroom experiences shaping life choices and outcomes, it’s vital we encourage more young people with lived experience, especially those from under-represented groups to study computing at school to help build a more diverse future STEM workforce.
student teams entered our 2023 Showcase
student ideas shortlisted and pitched to industry experts
votes in our Showcase People’s Choice Award
app ideas were voted Judge’s Favourites
volunteers reviewed, provided feedback and shortlisted students’ app ideas
reviews of students’ app ideas
My mum was at a loss of how to help her and there was very little support from doctors or any other services. My Mum would research but it took her a long time. Awful things would happen like putting vanish stain remover in her tea and my mum felt at a loss at how to prevent these things from happening.
We are dealing with a substantial and severe issue in the world that affects lots of people, and this must be resolved. So, we want to ensure that the stigma is brought to the surface, and using technology is the perfect way to do this.
The Apps for Good course made us think of a range of factors that contribute to the climate crisis. We often think it’s largely down to big business and industry - but it made us think closer to home about things we have direct control over.
2023 in focus: A Multi Academy Trust approach to Climate Innovation
In the past year, Innovate for Climate Change has reached more than five times as many schools than last academic year! We’ve been working with schools and Multi Academy Trusts to support their digital learning and sustainability strategies.
schools engaged in Innovate for Climate Change
young people gained digital & green skills
of students studying Innovate for Climate Change want to do more to act on climate change
Our impact journey continues…
With the backing of new and existing partners and a thriving community of teachers, we will continue to positively impact more young people through Innovate for Climate Change and App for Social Action, as well as developing a new course - AI for Good.