Prime Minister David Cameron will announce the opening of a National College for Digital Skills in London in 2015, and he says maths, science and technology must take priority in England’s schools.
He’s looking to improve the UK’s economic competitiveness in the “global race”.
There will be specialist training to improve the skills of 17,500 maths and science teachers.
However, Labour says the government has already failed to meet its teacher recruitment targets.
“There’s no secret to success in the modern world,” he said. “If countries are going to win in the global race and children compete and get the best jobs, you need mathematicians and scientists – pure and simple.
“So today, we commit to deliver more maths and science teachers.
“This is all part of our long-term economic plan for Britain – making sure our children have the skills they need to thrive and get on.”
A £67million initiative, covering the next five years, will give extra maths and science training for 15,000 existing teachers and recruit an additional 2,500 teachers.
Improving maths skills will benefit the competitiveness of the economy and improve the job chances of individuals, the prime minister will say.
A National College for Digital Skills will be created, providing vocational courses in digital technology for 5,000 students over five years. It will work with private sector companies such as IBM, Deloitte and Bank of America.