Scotland is running out of computer science teachers, and the clock is ticking louder than ever. A bold new pilot now lets experienced tech professionals train as teachers without giving up their industry jobs or salaries. Known as “braided careers,” the scheme keeps one foot in the classroom and the other in companies like Skyscanner. Early signs show it is already working.
The program has filled places that sat empty for years and convinced one of Scotland’s biggest tech firms to back a second cohort before the first has even finished training.
Two Decades of Decline Reach Breaking Point
For nearly twenty years, the number of qualified computing science teachers in Scotland has fallen steadily.
Official figures released in December 2025 show just 16 trainees accepted places on PGDE Computing courses for 2025-26, against a government target of 52. That is the lowest intake on record.
Meanwhile, one in five current computing teachers is approaching retirement age.
The result: 66 secondary schools, one in eight pupils, have no dedicated computing science teacher at all. Thousands of teenagers leave school without ever being taught properly how computers actually work.
Why Money Alone Was Never the Answer
Most people assumed the problem was simple: industry pays far more than teaching.
Research by KPE4, the charity founded by Skyscanner co-founder Gareth Williams, proved the truth is more complicated.
Yes, salary matters. But tech professionals also told researchers they feared four bigger risks if they switched to teaching full-time:
- Their technical skills would rust within months.
- Friends and peers would see teaching as “giving up” a real career.
- Constant negative stories about teacher workload and stress.
- Having to move across Scotland because the PGDE course is only offered in three locations.
One senior developer in Edinburgh summed it up: “I would love to teach, but I can’t afford to fall behind or uproot my family.”
The Braided Career Fix: Work Both Jobs at Once
Instead of forcing people to choose between industry or teaching, the new pilot lets them do both.
Participants spend one intensive year training full-time at the University of Glasgow, with Skyscanner paying their full industry salary during that period.
From year two, they teach two days a week in a local school and work three days a week as software engineers at Skyscanner. Both salaries are paid pro rata, and most also receive the Scottish Government’s £20,000 STEM bursary.
A dedicated coordinator, a fully registered teacher funded by KPE4, supports the group and handles all school placements.
The first cohort started in August 2025. Demand was so high that Skyscanner immediately committed to fund a second group starting in August 2026.
Real Teachers, Real Coders, Real Inspiration
Students notice the difference straight away.
One S5 pupil at a Glasgow school told researchers: “Our new teacher actually builds the kind of apps we use every day. When he explains APIs, he shows us code he wrote last week at Skyscanner. It feels relevant.”
Teachers in the pilot report the opposite of isolation. They meet weekly with their cohort, swap stories from the classroom and the office, and keep their GitHub profiles active.
Skyscanner’s head of engineering says the arrangement works for the company too. “We keep great people who might otherwise have left tech entirely, and they bring fresh teaching insights back into our teams.”
Early Numbers Tell a Hopeful Story
Key facts from the pilot so far:
- 100% of places filled in year one (previous courses often ran half-empty)
- Zero dropouts during the PGDE year
- Skyscanner already funding cohort two
- Three additional companies in talks to join for 2027
- Interest from local authorities in Edinburgh and Aberdeen to create more part-time teaching posts
A Model That Could Spread Beyond Computing
If the pilot succeeds through to 2028 and 2029, when both cohorts gain full GTCS registration, the braided model could roll out to other shortage subjects.
Physics and mathematics teachers face almost identical problems. Early conversations are already happening.
Most importantly, the scheme proves you do not have to choose between building the future in a tech company or shaping it in a classroom. You can do both, and Scotland’s economy will be stronger for it.
The teenagers who sat down to code this week with teachers who still work at one of the country’s most successful tech firms are living proof that change is finally here.
What do you think: could braided careers save STEM teaching across the UK? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
