Skills, Talent and Diversity updates
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Inclusive career pathways: a skills-based approach.
Siemens: Inspiring future talent through inclusive opportunities
Siemens creates technologies that transform the everyday, for everyone– from the energy transition to large-scale digital transformations. We are committed to responsible, sustainable business which is why we take a broad approach to our early career opportunities, from inclusive work experience to CV-less hiring in some areas.
People and society are at the forefront of Siemens. Our passion and commitment is illustrated through our student engagements, nearly 800,000 last year through competitions, volunteering opportunities and Work Experience, a hot topic of discussion.
Challenging the status quo: virtual work
experience for all
Work placements have traditionally been limited to the lucky few who rely on family contacts or neighbours who already work in large companies. We think this is unfair and blocks organisations from accessing untapped talent.
As a tech company, we decided to do what we do best, innovate. We created a Virtual Work Experience Programme that is always accessible to students anywhere with a computer or mobile devices.
Since 2023, over 16,000 young people from 2,700 institutions in GB&I have benefitted from the programme.
In 2025, Virtual Work Experience supported 6,639 students and delivered more than 17,881 engaged learning hours. Importantly, the programme is reaching learners who are historically underrepresented in STEM, including 66% from minority ethnic backgrounds, 26% eligible for Free School Meals, 21% first generation university students and 7% with SEND. It’s allowing us to reach audiences we would have struggled to reach and empowering people without needing a direct link to us.
The impact of Virtual Work Experience extends beyond numbers. Following the programme, awareness of careers rated as Excellent increased by 24% and students feeling very confident about finding future employment rose by 14%Likelihood of pursuing a STEM career also grew significantly, with 78% saying they were likely or very likely to consider this pathway, a powerful indicator of the value of structured employer engagement. With engineering and technology facing major skills challenges, this kind of engagement is like gold dust for companies in the sector.
Opening doors: Making in-person work experience equitable
The programme has, in a short time, created huge impact and we asked ourselves how can we make in-person placements more sustainable and equitable. The result is that all of our in-person placements are selected from an application process focussing on skills and interests rather than grades and experiences. This allows us to still build physical workplace skills, enabling students to visit offices, manufacturing sites and operational environments and interact with our Early Careers Professionals.
From experience to employment: Hiring for potential
Siemens is an innovative business and always open to evolution. Our work experience needs to align with our hiring principles and our skills-based, equitable approach has also been adopted via our new ‘hiring for potential’ model. This is where our recruitment processes take a skills focus rather than homing in on grades or experiences afforded to the lucky few.
Through a series of gamified activities which are based on the skills required for the role, candidates are shortlisted on capability, removing CVs as a selection factor and focusing on the skills the business needs which has brought more diversity. In FY25 37% of our Early Careers Professionals technical roles identified as female and 42% identified as non-White British.
There is still work to be done but Siemens approaches skills and careers opportunities with an equitable lens from pipeline to recruitment. If we want to address the skills gaps in technology and engineering, we need to be brave, address outdated practices based on privilege and embrace the technical world in which we live and operate.
About the campaign
techUK’s TechTogether campaign, taking place throughout March, is a collection of activities highlighting the UK’s technology sector pursuit to shape a more equitable future. In 2026 we are exploring: Inclusive AI, investing in diverse founders and entrepreneurs, the power of allyship and mentorship, and empowering young people.
Career related industry insights:
Other opportunities to get involved:
Other related insights:
Authors
Mark Wood
Mark has worked in the STEM arena for over 25 years, creating project content, in consultative and strategic roles and managing UK Government contracts linking schools and businesses around the skills agenda.
