Apple CEO says schools should have mandatory coding courses

Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Tim Cook, recently told the BBC that there are “no good excuses” for the lack of women in the tech industry. 

2021 diversity figures from Apple showed 35% of staff in the US were female.

Mr Cook stated: “I think the essence of technology and its effect on humanity depends upon women being at the table.

“Technology’s a great thing that will accomplish many things, but unless you have diverse views at the table that are working on it, you don’t wind up with great solutions.”

Statistics compiled together by STEM Women from 2019 showed there is a gap between men and women in STEM subjects.

Altogether, women make up about 26% of STEM graduates (2019).

Computer science, engineering and technology fields showed the largest gaps from current students to graduates and the workforce figures.

Tim Cook said his opinion is that everybody should be required to take some sort of coding course by the time they finish school.

This is so they have a “working knowledge” of how coding works and how apps are created.

Mr Cook told the BBC: “Businesses can’t cop out and say ‘there’s not enough women taking computer science – therefore I can’t hire enough’.

“We have to fundamentally change the number of people that are taking computer science and programming.”