Nurturing skills such as coding is not purely the responsibility of big tech firms and educators; all businesses should play their part.
Technical skills – particularly coding – are frequently cited as being crucial to the future prospects of the younger generation. Despite the importance ascribed to teaching such skills, software organisations both large and small need to do more to contribute to this endeavour. This is according to STX Next, Europe’s largest software house specialising in Python development.
While a huge number of businesses have suffered in the past year, the technology sector is one of the few to have seen significant growth: recent research has shown that 55% of non-tech workers are now contemplating a career transition into IT-based roles. For Maciej Dziergwa, CEO of STX Next, this underlines the need for every software business to commit to training young people.
Maciej Dziergwa, said: “More or less everyone in the tech sector is aware of how important skills such as coding or programming are to the future of modern businesses. STEM subjects are also being increasingly recognised as an integral part of the school curriculum.
Despite these developments, comprehensive teaching of these skills is still predominantly covered by institutions such as universities, independent training providers, or large technology businesses like Google. The UK government’s new digital strategy has also been held up by the ongoing pandemic, so the move to train as many talented young people as possible still needs to build further momentum.
This is where smaller software firms that don’t currently embrace such training schemes can step up. As tech-savvy, agile and forward-thinking organisations, they’re perfectly positioned to be trailblazers in teaching promising young people essential technical skills. Despite these evident capabilities, it can be easy for a smaller company – where workloads are often hectic – to get caught up in the day-to-day and put other initiatives on the backburner.”
For Maciej, one immediate benefit of such training schemes for the business itself is that it provides the chance to unearth new talent, acting as a powerful short-term recruitment tool. However, just as rewarding is the chance for all technology firms to work together in the pursuit of a common goal.
He, added: “Some of the finest new recruits can be discovered through training programmes, and overall, it’s an inexpensive way of getting new talent on board. So, at the very least, such initiatives are effective in growing your company and establishing a supportive ethos.”
Maciej, concluded: “That said, the greatest overall impact of investing in such schemes is that any business can play a major part in closing the digital skills gap. Unlocking the skills of millions and safeguarding the global economy requires big tech firms, smaller organisations, governments and education providers to all work together. With all of this resource combined, there’s every reason to believe this gap can be closed.”
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