This film explains tertiary and quaternary industries: what they are and how they fit into the global economy.
Video
All industry is part of a chain that starts with primary industry: the production or extraction of raw materials, like agricultural products or mining; and secondary industry: the processing of these raw materials into usable products.
Next in the chain come tertiary and quaternary industries, also known as the service industries. Tertiary and quaternary industries tend to be more important in more economically developed countries.
The tertiary sector includes the selling of the goods that have been produced in the primary and secondary sectors. This might be in shops or online.
Tertiary industries also include the selling of services and skills, for example financial services, legal services, health services, hospitality services and also the transportation of goods and people.
The most recent types of industries are the quaternary industries which support and develop the service industries and often involve information, technological and digital services.
This sector really grew in strength during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Examples of quaternary industry include computing, consultancy, project management, education and research and development.
Digital products, like the new game everyone's downloading or the latest phone, are all developed in the quaternary sector.
In the past, primary and secondary industries were the biggest employers in the United Kingdom. But towards the end of the twentieth century, the manufacturing sector here greatly declined and the digital revolution saw new industries and ways of working come to prominence.
Today, most jobs in the United Kingdom are found in the tertiary and quaternary sectors which employ over three quarters of the workforce. They tend to focus around big towns and cities. It's thought that future economic growth in the United Kingdom will focus around this sector.
Video summary
Download/print a transcript of the video.
A short film for secondary schools explaining tertiary and quaternary industries: what they are and how they fit into the global economy.
It covers the development of the service industries and, more recently, that of skills to support the service industry through the development of new technologies.
It meets the requirement of the Key Stage 3 Geography Curriculum with regard to:
- human geography relating to: population and urbanisation
- international development
- economic activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors
- the use of natural resources
Teacher notes
Download/print the Teacher Notes for this episode (pdf).
Before watching the video
Ask students to create a list of ten different jobs. Students share the list of jobs with the rest of the class. Discuss with students what categories those jobs could fit into, are there any similarities between the types of jobs?
Introduce key terms such as:
Industry: Any economic activity which creates jobs and generates income.
Tertiary industry: An industry that includes the selling of services and skills.
Quaternary industry: An industry that includes supporting and developing the service industries and often involve information, technological and digital services.
During the video
You may wish to stop at relevant points during this short film to pose questions and check understanding or wait until the end. Useful questions might include:
- Where do industries begin?
- What is the tertiary sector?
- Give examples of jobs in the tertiary sector.
- What is the quaternary sector?
- Give examples of jobs in the quaternary sector.
- What are the biggest industries in the UK?
After watching
After watching this short film, students could carry out a study of the industries in their local area; what are the main types of industry present and how have these changed over time?
Ask students to create a list of jobs that are part of each sector. Research could be carried out into countries where a high number of jobs are available in each of the tertiary and quaternary sectors.
Where next?
This is a great opportunity to investigate the range of different jobs available in geography.
- Use Bitesize Careers section on Geography, History and Religious Studies to help students to understand more about jobs in geography.
Curriculum notes
This short film is relevant for teaching geography at KS3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland.
It meets the requirement of the Key Stage 3 Geography Curriculum with regard to:
- human geography relating to: population and urbanisation
- international development economic activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors
- the use of natural resources
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