I can't recommend this enough. I've worked with a couple of youngsters in a professional capacity through work experience programmes, and the ones with a drive

I can't recommend this enough. I've worked with a couple of youngsters in a professional capacity through work experience programmes, and the ones with a drive to do well from 16 onwards are those that are given the freedom to make their own choices in tech. They developed their tech habits in the same way that many of us did, they downloaded the same tools we use, and they started building stuff. One thing I'd recommend, if they still have the tech bug at around 16, is to see if they can do some kind of work experience in industry at an early age, ideally over the summer holidays. A lot of kids benefit from being around those that do tech on a regular basis, and it's a great feeling for them to work on the same stuff as we do. Even if they're picking up some less important tasks, or are re-doing the company site, it's still a great experience for them.