People are the future. It might sound like a campaign slogan for an upcoming election, or a statement so simple that it offends our intelligence.
What is a skills-gap? It’s the junction where social inequality and economy meet. With cyclical stories about the rise of the machines, and how humans are losing their value within industries where processes can be automated, should we be concerned with a skills-gap within the tech industry?
With an estimated 1.4 million computing and engineering roles that need to be filled by 2020 and 400,000 computer science graduates by then, shouldn’t we be a little alarmed and be spurred into taking more immediate action?
The skills-gap shouldn’t just focus on filling jobs: it should centre on hiring the right people for roles that drive innovation not solely for businesses or tech circles, but for the benefit of technology globally. Our workplaces should resemble our wider world, with an even mix of gender, race, religion and culture.
But how do we get to a place where we aren’t scared to publish our gender pay gap data and we’re proud to talk about the multiculturalism within our businesses?
Between 2002 and 2012, the number of students taking Computer Science degrees dropped by over 23%.
In the UK, our digital economy is one of the largest in the world, and as we develop more advanced and innovative technologies, our demand for skilled workers likewise increases. With around 1.4 million people working in digital jobs in the UK, filling roles ranging from software development to cybersecurity, website design and technical support, there’s no shortage of vacancies.
It’s estimated that digital employment will grow by more than 5% by 2020 and will be worth £200 billion to the UK economy by 2025.
Back in 2016, Hired, a global recruitment company authored a report, ‘Mind the Gap’ which revealed skills shortages particularly in data engineering, cybersecurity, and UI/UX programming roles.
When you consider recent high-profile data security breaches, could the skills-gap actually have serious implications for businesses? A report published by Robert Half in July 2016, ‘Cybersecurity: Protecting your Future’ revealed that 77% of UK Chief Information Officers think that the cybersecurity threat will grow due to a shortage of talent.
The UK Government, in a bid to make the UK ‘one of the safest places in the world to do business’ has launched a £1.9 billion cybersecurity strategy, aimed at least in part, to develop a ‘world-class cyber workforce’.
Who’s to blame for the skills shortage? To an extent, it starts in the classroom. Traditionally, girls don’t opt for ‘techie’ subjects, potentially stopping them from entering the industry later in their careers.
Between 2002 and 2012, the number of students taking Computer Science degrees dropped by over 23%.
For those that do go on to study these subjects at university, what is the likelihood of them staying within the UK when in the United States, software developers are typically paid 30% more? More money with the added benefit of more melanin?
It’s also hard to ignore the Brexit-shaped beast and the impact that will have on the UK digital industry, with 80,000 skilled workers from other European Union nations being left with a question-mark over their ability to stay in the UK.
77% of UK Chief Information Officers think that the cyber security threat will grow due to a
shortage of talent
Combining grass-roots initiatives to encourage young people to consider a career in tech will help us address the skills-gap in the long run. Empowering and encouraging students, irrespective of their gender or background, to pursue subjects that will give them access to a future-facing career has to be an important strategy.
The Tech Opportunity Fund, The Iron Yard Code School and many others work to increase educational access and supports diversity in the tech industry, capitalising on the fact that women and ethnic minorities, were the pioneers of modern technology.
If you’re looking for cinematic examples, Hidden Figures showcases Katherine Johnson, an African-American woman and her female contemporaries battling racism whilst working as computers at NASA.
To really shake-up the make-up of the tech industry, we will need to shift our attitudes.
Better representation of women and ethnic minorities, especially in the highest levels of an organisation, has been proven to drive increased economic output by 19% with the inclusion of women, and 35% when ethnic minorities are at Board level.
If we’re all users and consumers of technology, to close the skills gap, we must take advantage of the untapped potential of our current and up-and-coming workforces.
To address the skills-gap in real-time, we need to invest in our colleagues once they’ve joined our businesses. If we can offer development to employees, we can drive their productivity and their career progression, allowing them to become the future leaders of our own industry.
That might mean providing training with accredited organisations as well as in-house up-skilling within and between teams. Investing in your staff will also help you retain a skilled workforce and encourage them to stay within your company.
We also shouldn’t underestimate the amount of skill our digital workforce will organically bring to work with them through their familiarity with modern technology.
To learn more about plugging the skills-gap, as well as to better understand what Intercity Technology is doing to help shake up the industry, download our free June 2018 edition of Intercity Tech
