The UK’s plan to build its sovereign AI capacity depends on cultivating a strong pool of skilled professionals. Despite employing more than 466,000 software developers, 76% of UK firms struggle to fill IT and data roles, with software engineering among the hardest skills to source. This talent shortage remains a pressing challenge.
National Coding Week provides an opportunity to reflect on why coding matters for the UK’s digital economy and to explore ways of strengthening the skills pipeline. With this year’s theme centred on AI, the spotlight is on the technology’s potential as well as the need for a workforce capable of applying it responsibly.
We’ve rounded up senior leaders from the tech industry explain why building and sustaining a coding talent pipeline must be seen as a cornerstone of global AI competitiveness.
The future of all industries is written in code
Coding, once the preserve of IT departments, is now a universal business skill driving innovation and productivity across industries.
Mark Gray, UK & Ireland Country Manager at Universal Robots explains:
“Programming is no longer a niche skill – it’s powering careers in AI and automation, particularly in manufacturing. As industries embrace digital transformation, AI is driving smarter processes, optimising precision and productivity in tasks that were once entirely manual.
“Around 20,000 of the UK’s 27,000 manufacturing SMEs still operate without robots, representing an untapped opportunity worth £150 billion over the next decade. Turning this opportunity into reality requires developing the skills of tomorrow’s workforce.”
Rob Gray, Engineering Manager at Vet-AI sees coding reshaping the delivery of care, but he also warns against reckless adoption:
“In veterinary medicine, technology is at the heart of helping vets deliver faster and more effective care to pets, from AI diagnostics to tools that make everyday tasks more efficient. Every line of code should improve pet health and support the vets behind it.”
“AI must be rigorously tested for accuracy and safety, but also for empathy, because we know how stressful it is for owners when a pet is unwell.”
Creating a talent pipeline
Closing the skills gap starts with education. However, for coding education to be truly effective, it must evolve in tandem with industry needs, ensuring what’s taught in classrooms translates into real- world skills. This cannot stop in school education; lifelong learning is essential to creating a holistic learning arc.
Alois Reitbauer, Chief Technology Strategist at Dynatrace, highlights how curricula must adapt to an AI-driven world:
“A future-proof coding course should focus on understanding AI behaviour and constraints, using open-source libraries safely, and critically analysing AI-generated solutions. Establishing a curriculum that trains developers not just for current positions but prepares them for future challenges is critical. Without making these strides in coding education now, there will be greater risk of creating a generation of developers who are underqualified to handle the complexities of AI-assisted coding.”
Whereas Jon Friskics, Senior Software Development Author at Pluralsight, emphasises the pace of change and importance of continuous learning:
“Technology is moving at such a rapid pace that the skills learnt just two years ago can quickly become outdated – especially for coders who are now required to use AI in their work. Even the most experienced coders must actively engage in learning new technologies, practicing regularly through coding challenges, and refining their understanding of design patterns.”
While Chris Wysopal, Co-Founder and Chief Security Evangelist at Veracode, cautions against neglecting young talent:
“Only 55% of AI-generated code meets basic security standards – that should be a wake-up call. Cybercriminals already see the value of raw talent, recruiting teenagers from gaming forums and Discord servers. If we want to keep pace with both innovation and cybercrime, we need to widen the net and show young coders that curiosity can be a career, not a liability.”
AI is reshaping the developer landscape
AI is transforming coding, opening the field to more people and redefining what it means to be a developer.
Rohit Gupta, UK&I Head at Cognizant explains how AI is breaking down barriers:
“By lowering the barrier to entry through prompt engineering and vibe coding, AI enables early-career developers to contribute meaningfully without years of experience. More than a fifth of our code is now AI-generated, and juniors using these tools have boosted their productivity by 37% – more than double their senior peers. As coding becomes more democratised and less menial, the skills that matter most are adaptability, creativity, and cross-functional thinking.”
At the same time, overdependence on AI carries risks, from skills decay to ethical blind spots. Leaders agree that human oversight is essential.
Manvinder Singh, VP of AI Product Management at Redis stresses the need for balance:
“It’s fitting that National Coding Week’s focus this year is on AI. AI coding tools are now essential to the modern developer’s toolkit. By accelerating routine processes and reducing cognitive load, they are freeing up time for more strategic or creative work. As AI becomes more embedded in everyday workflows, the focus must be on responsible adoption, balancing speed with oversight and innovation with inclusion, to ensure long-term benefits are widely shared across the industry.
Similarly, Kun Chen, Lead Principal Engineer at Atlassian reinforces this point:
“AI should never be treated as a fully autonomous solution from day one. The only way to adopt it successfully is to ensure that humans remain in the driving seat from the get-go. Keeping humans in the loop isn’t about fixing AI mistakes after the fact, but about shaping systems that are fair, contextual and accountable. AI isn’t here to replace people, it’s here to partner with them.”
Embedding security into AI-driven coding
With AI increasing coding output, the potential attack surface for cyber threats expands too. Security must therefore be integrated into development from the very beginning.
Lori Macvittie, Distinguished Engineer at F5 underscores the importance of designing with security in mind:
“Secure coding can’t be an afterthought. It also can’t fall solely on developers’ shoulders. As AI accelerates software delivery and vibe coding becomes the norm, the attack surface keeps expanding. We need to stop expecting developers to single-handedly stop every breach. Instead, security demands system-level thinking; multiple layers of defence for the multiple types of attack we face.”
A long-term approach to building skills
The UK’s future in AI hinges on a consistent, long-term approach to developing coding skills. From education to professional development, from security to responsible AI, the challenge extends well past National Coding Week. A coordinated national effort is essential if the UK is to remain competitive as a leader in global AI.
