British schools will be able to focus their technology lessons on computer science in the coming years after an exam board announced plans to introduce a paper on the subject.
Until now, students have been taught Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in schools, but this has received criticism for bearing little to no relevance on future technology careers.
It is hoped that by introducing a computer programming paper, education establishments will be able to vary what they teach and spark an interest in the subject.
Last August, Google chairman Eric Schmidt criticized Britain's teaching of information technology, saying the country is "throwing away its computer heritage".
He said that he was "flabbergasted to learn that computer science isn't even taught as standard" in UK schools, adding: "There's been a drift to the humanities - engineering and science aren't championed. Even worse, both sides seem to denigrate the other … you're either a 'luvvy' or a 'boffin'."
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is now looking to introduce a new General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam, usually taken at 16-years-old, after taking advice from Microsoft and the British Computer Society.
Stuart Gilbertson, subject manager for AQA's new GCSE, told the news provider that the move isn't in response to Mr Schmidt's speech last year, but something that has been in the pipeline for a while.
"Eric Schmidt's comments were very much in line with our thinking. We'd been developing the new GCSE since the end of 2010," he explained.
"[The old GCSE in ICT] wasn't keeping pace with what's out there in society and wasn't setting up students with suitable skills. We wanted to make it more engaging and relevant to students."
Coursework will also be a part of the qualification, with a sample piece released by AQA giving students around 25 hours to produce a mobile phone application that could help bus passengers pay for tickets.
The course, which takes two years to complete, will be made available to students from September. Evidence of change within the UK's technology sector could take longer to come to the fore.
