Three steps London tech firms can take to close the digital skills gap
As the largest and most influential tech hub in the UK, the capital ‘has the highest proportion of employers who require advanced digital skills’. As such, London is where the effects of the digital skills gap can be felt most acutely; upskilling employees’ digital skills was named as the top priority of London businesses in a poll of business leaders, emphasising the urgent need of technically-skilled talent.
- Seek new ways to hire talent
My advice to London tech firms if they’re finding it difficult to source and recruit the skills they need is to reassess where they’re looking. Too often, companies get stuck in a rhythm of using the same methods, recruiters and processes when all this does is attract the same kind of employee. If you’re looking to attract exceptional talent with the skills you need, it’s important to cast the net wide. Ask yourselves, are you doing everything you can to attract diverse, digitally-literate talent?
Take a step back and scrutinise every element of the process, from the job description to the interview and beyond. Review your job descriptions for indications of unconscious bias, removing any words that could be perceived as gendered or ageist, as well as any unnecessary ‘must have criteria’. In some cases, companies ask for certain criteria as standard, without it being strictly necessary to that specific role, e.g. ‘Excellent verbal and written English skills’ may not be necessary for a highly technical coding role.
To tap into an entirely new talent pool, review where you place your job advertisements and be sure to explore alternative recruitment partners.
- Break down barriers to entry
The social and economic benefits of greater diversity are clear for all to see. According to a recent report, gender diverse teams are 21% more likely to outperform on profitability,and ethnically diverse teams are 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability.
While slow growth has been reported in recent years, it is estimated that still just 19% of tech workers in the UK are women, and around 18% of tech workers are from BAME backgrounds, which highlights that there is still drastic work to be done in London, and across the UK as a whole. According to research, the lack of female representation in the UK tech sector can largely be attributed to the lack of girls choosing STEM subjects at school, absence of female role models and shortage of information about what a career in tech entails,
As industry leaders, London tech firms should seek to lead the way for the rest of the sector in breaking down the barriers to entry for underrepresented groups. Consider collaborating on initiatives that seek to promote the exciting opportunities that a career in the tech sector can bring, such as workshops, open days and digital upskilling bootcamps to inspire women and people from BAME backgrounds to pursue a tech career. In this way, tech firms can help to create a steady pipeline of tech talent for years to come, ensuring future success and safeguarding London’s status as the UK’s tech hub.
- Devise an upskilling programme
Undeniably, one of the most effective ways to ensure your business has the digital skills it needs is to invest in the talent you already have. Define the digital skills that your organisation needs to thrive and build dedicated upskilling programmes that can equip your existing employees with new skills. Work with your internal L&D teams and Subject Matter Experts to create a training programme that can be delivered on an ongoing basis. Not only is upskilling a relatively cost-effective method of closing your digital skills gap and ensuring that your firm keeps pace with new technologies, but it also helps existing employees feel valued and motivated.
If your company lacks the time or bandwidth to execute a full digital skills upskilling programme, be sure to explore the numerous local government and Mayor of London schemes and university-backed courses available.
Alternatively, if you’re in need of business-ready talent that you can hire immediately, another option is to partner with an expert to build your talent pipeline. FDM Group helps tech firms in the UK build a diverse and sustainable talent pipeline that can support both long- and short-term goals. FDM provides industry leading programmes across multiple technical disciplines, from Software Development and Cloud Engineering to RPA and Data Engineering, matching highly skilled technical consultants with leading London tech firms. You can learn more about FDM Group’s services here.
Sheila Flavell CBE
Sheila Flavell CBE is President of techUK, and both Chief Operating Officer and an Executive Board Director of FDM Group. She has spent 35 years operating within the international tech space. As a “woman returner”, Sheila is passionate about promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in today’s workplace. She founded the FDM Returners Programme in 2015, which has since helped over 550 men and women return to work after a career break.