Self-driving children’s author launches new Tech Career book at Parliament
Building on the success of her forward-thinking children’s books, notably 2024’s The Digital Adventures of Ava and Chip: Self-Driving Car, Beverly Clarke MBE invited us to Parliament on Monday to celebrate the launch of a new book, The Tech Career Coach For Teens.
While the book itself is brilliant, packed with top tips and relatable real-life success stories, there is a bigger picture – helping young people become better informed and more engaged digital citizens.
The automotive industry is no stranger to skills gaps, in electric vehicle (EV) and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) maintenance and repair, for example. To address this, the charity Clarke founded, Technology Books for Children, encourages kids to see tech as fun.
Self-driving skills
The two MPs in attendance – Dawn Butler, MP for Brent East in London, and Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe – shared their own experiences with fast-evolving tech, and reaffirmed their commitment to inspiring the next generation.
Having worked as a computer programmer, Butler highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in the age of AI. Vaughan, a lawyer by trade, highlighted the growing importance of information science qualifications.
Clarke then took centre stage, reflecting on the magic of reading in stimulating the imagination, and praising the expertise of her co-authors – Rebecca Franks, co-founder of Flip Computing, and computer scientist, Dr Tracy Gardner – along with Trustees Sarah Zaman and Abena Akuffo-Kelly.
“The UK tech sector is already growing at three times the rate of the rest of the economy,” said Clarke. “Tech is where the jobs are going to be – in AI, online safety, robotics, and new areas that don’t even exist yet. By encouraging children to read tech books for pleasure, we’re helping to make digital literacy a key part of their learning journey.”
Following short presentations by the aforementioned Trustees, came a Teen Panel – firsthand, no-nonsense appraisals of the current shortcomings in tech education in secondary schools.
Speaking to them afterwards, they all expressed an interest in self-driving, which chimes with the findings of our Venson-backed visit to Tiffin School 6th form back in March.
They also agreed that they’d love to try programming small autonomous robots in the classroom, something Kenneth Clarke of Silvera is working to make happen. Watch this space!
