The letters on all our minds are of course AI and what it means for our businesses and our technology teams. What skills will be needed in the future, and how do we prepare our businesses for that future?
While AI might be busy revolutionising how we work, how we interact, and how we run our lives, there is one critical thing it’s not going to change unless we act quickly. Right now, we are experiencing a crisis around skills gaps in digital, tech and tech adjacent roles. All research companies, recruiters, and management consultants tell us that the technology skills gap is only going to widen. Simply, more people need better digital skills and the ability to work confidently with AI as it augments and enhances their roles.
There’s also a compelling need for technology and data teams to be far more diverse than they currently are. The most productive and performant businesses need to have teams that match the demographic of their customers and citizens – not just to be competitive, but also to avoid unintended negative consequences in the AI driven services being created. Despite more than 20 years of targeted interventions by progressive businesses to recruit inclusively, to create supportive environments, encourage early careers, continuous learning and ‘squiggly’ careers, diversity levels haven’t really changed.
Starting as a Young
Did you know that children can make career level type decisions as young as five years old? Also, between leaving primary and secondary school children’s views on which careers are ‘for them’ continue to narrow as they are influenced by their families, communities, teachers, and peers. They then narrow again when they pick GCSEs, usually to try and match a very small number of career options.
How to make schools engagement part of your talent management programme
A crucial but often under-developed component of strategic talent management programmes is the implementation of a volunteering scheme that works with schools to inspire new generations to join the tech workforce in the future. Not only can this create a bigger pool to recruit from, but a well-designed scheme focusing on young people from disadvantaged or under-represented groups can also create a large and diverse pipeline of previously untapped talent. It can also create a double-digit social value return on investment, not to mention engaged, confident and motivated employees.
Partnering with organisations who are trusted advisers to teachers and schools can accelerate impact both on the immediate and long-term talent pipeline, as well as deliver measurable social value at national and local levels in terms of addressing systemic issues such as social mobility.
Sustainable volunteering programmes in schools are easy to implement and manage if an educational partner like STEM Learning is used. You don’t need to start from scratch. The free to use STEM Ambassadors platform has a Computing Ambassador scheme which guides and supports individuals and organisations through the volunteering process.
Your employees can:
- Quickly register and undertake the required 45 minutes of training which includes safeguarding training
- Get a free DBS check or share their DBS certificate if they already have one
- Free access to a range of self-paced and remotely delivered training such as planning and delivery an activity, how to talk inclusively, how to engage virtually in an impactful way and many more
- Free access to a digital community of other volunteers supporting each other
- Free access to templated, tried and tested, impactful school activities
- Free access to a ‘marketplace’ where teachers ask for volunteers to support them with specific asks (such as careers events or to support a competition), and where volunteers can share their offers to teachers
- Free personal social impact score based on the activities logged on the platform
If more than 25 of your employees register and log at least one activity every 12 months, STEM Learning can create a data sharing agreement which will give you access to a consolidated social impact report for all the volunteering work reported by your employees on the platform.
It really is that simple to generate social value impact, build a diverse future talent pipeline, help your early career employees develop key business skills – and ultimately increase both employee retention and productivity.
To better represent the world we live in, we need to continue to challenge and diversify the industry. This starts in schools. Join us! employers@stem.org.uk
Bio: Dr Nicki Clegg has over 30 years of experience as a technologist and 15 years as strategist and senior leader. She was a Chief Technology Officer for almost five years before deciding to focus fully on driving social mobility, diversity and inclusion in technology. She is now Industry Stakeholder Relationship Manager for STEM Learning helping deliver the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). Her role raises awareness of the NCCE and increases business engagement with schools and young people to help inspire a new and more diverse generation into careers in technology.
