A Swiss councilor has delivered a speech in Bern, Switzerland, suggesting that students at schools should be given some awareness of how digitalization works as part of the curriculum.
Crypto-friendly Switzerland, with its crypto havens and government support of soft legislation for cryptocurrency exchanges, sees its entire economy being influenced by new technology, of which blockchain and cryptocurrency will both play a central role. That’s certainly the view of Councillor Johann N Schneider-Ammann, one of seven officials who make up Switzerland’s collective head of state.
His speech, given at Bern’s Crypto Valley Conference recently, touched on education, in the sense that the technology behind cryptocurrency has not been widely understood and, therefore, continues to be a barrier for wider acceptance within the alpine nation. This lack of the fundamentals of the new technology even extended to politicians who are expected to pass laws and legislate for the industry. To combat this knowledge shortfall, he suggested:
“We need to put even greater emphasis on digitalization and technology in schools. We need more IT specialists (not to mention blockchain experts). And we need more research projects and professorships in this field.”
This need for professionals is also the reason why universities around the world are working to integrate blockchain technology into their curricula, creating endless job opportunities in areas of the technology which are severely lacking in skilled personnel. There are now many opportunities for blockchain developers, but clearly not enough skilled technicians to fill these gaps.
Toptal, a marketplace for hiring tech talent, recorded a 700% increase in demand for blockchain developers since January 2017. These positions can be well paid. According to Jerry Cuomo, VP of IBM’s blockchain technologies division, the best blockchain developers can command a salary above USD 250,000.
Schneider-Ammann also touched on a common concern and certainly shared by those of his colleagues in the Swiss government; regulatory measures to curb illegal activities.
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