Knowing what a 13 year old is thinking is a tough enough challenge for that young person's own parents, let alone the technology industry as a whole. But if the technology experience dreamed of by the next generation of knowledge workers is to shape the design and delivery of tomorrow's IT systems, it's imperative that we start thinking about it today.

At Logicalis, we believe that, when in doubt, it's always safest to ask. So, in May this year, we questioned over 1,000 of our country's youth about what they believed they would need and want from technology in the future.

Our findings give us plenty of reason to be optimistic. The UK's 13-17 year olds, referred to as the ‘Real Time Generation', are tech-savvy, secure and more demanding than many give them credit for. Over three-quarters (78 per cent), for example, do not post personal information on social networking sites, are more concerned about their security, or have stopped using these sites altogether.

And they expect to have plenty of access to computing during their college years. Sixty-three per cent stating that technology would play an important part in their selection of which institution to attend Almost half (48 per cent) of students want the further education institution they attend to provide them with a laptop to use during their time there. More than a quarter (27 per cent).want to be supplied with a computer that they can keep forever.

But we also need to issue a word of warning: the Real Time Generation's interest in technology will not necessarily translate into careers in the field. Our survey found only 12 per cent of the teenagers had considered a career in IT, although another 35 per cent would consider it if it they could find something in IT that interested them. Only 11 per cent of the surveyed group intended to pursue a science-based course at university, compared to 31 per cent who were planning to attend a media course and 23 per cent intending to study a sports course.

"This indicates that you can close the skills gap, because these teenagers are very good at using IT," said Chris Gabriel, marketing and solutions director at Logicalis, adding that it is imperative that the IT industry focuses its efforts in coming years on transforming users of technology into those who run it.