# DfE poll finds 84% of teens back technical options such as coding

> The government polled 500 young people about new technical courses from age 14. It also confirmed that Digital will be among the first V Levels and Foundation Certificates from September 2027.

The Yoink Report (CodeYoink) | UK | Schools | News of 9 October 2026 | Published 5 November 2026

The Department for Education said on 9 October 2026 that 84% of young people it polled back new technical options for 14-year-olds.

In [its announcement](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teenagers-back-vocational-reforms-and-defy-outdated-stigma), the department said the options would mix practical technical learning with core subjects such as English and maths. It gave coding, construction and manufacturing as examples of technical learning. The poll covered 500 young people who are due to choose their options at 14 or 16 or have recently done so. The department did not say who ran the poll or when.

In the same poll, 46% said they were concerned that advances in artificial intelligence could reduce job opportunities. More than half (52%) worry about having the right skills for future jobs. Nearly half (44%) said their peers look down on vocational and technical routes.

For pupils and parents, the department set out the dates for digital courses. V Levels, new vocational courses for 16 to 19-year-olds that are equal to one A level, start in September 2027. Digital is one of the first three subjects. Foundation Certificates in Digital also start then, for students who need to pass English and maths first.

The department [announced in September](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-vocational-gcses-unveiled-in-major-shake-up-to-hands-on-learning-for-teens) that Vocational GCSEs could include Digital Tech. Some will be available from as early as September 2029. A consultation on them will be published before the end of the year, the department said. It has not said what a Digital Tech course would teach or whether it will be among the first subjects.

## Sources

- GOV.UK: [Teenagers back vocational reforms and defy outdated stigma](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teenagers-back-vocational-reforms-and-defy-outdated-stigma)
- GOV.UK: [New Vocational GCSEs unveiled in major shake-up to hands-on learning for teens](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-vocational-gcses-unveiled-in-major-shake-up-to-hands-on-learning-for-teens)

Picture: David Hawgood, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Computer_room,_Ark_Brunel_Primary_Academy_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4684120.jpg

Web page: https://codeyoink.com/news/teenagers-back-technical-options-poll