How to attract the next generation of industry talent was a key theme of IT Channel Oxygen’s recent Oxygen Influencers report (see more here).
Compiled in partnership with Nebula Global Services, it highlighted 25 individuals driving positive change, but from outside the boardroom.
The channel’s skills problem was a key talking point at the VIP Oxygen Influencers lunch that followed the report’s launch last month (see discussion here and images here).
But how do these 25 role models think the channel can appeal to a wider cross-section of school leavers and graduates, and those outside the industry?
Here’s what some of them said when asked as part of the report:
Anushka Davies, Softcat
“Increasing the visibility of the diversity of roles within the IT industry (i.e. it’s not just coding or technical support!) and shouting about them to university graduates from various degrees that might not traditionally feed into the tech industry,” Anushka Davies
Yvonne Matzk, Coachere
“Stop asking for degrees and make the industry more accessible and welcoming to the different talent pools out there,” Yvonne Matzk, Coachere
Elsa Jasmine Nightingale, Canalys
“Truly flexible working, four-day working weeks (I’m such a fan), genuine work life balance, pay equity audits, regular, open feedback sessions (townhalls if you will), and the opportunity to feedback anonymously to a third party and via surveys. It’s clear job descriptions, flat hierarchies, part-time options, return to work schemes for new parents – all the things that also really move the needle on diversity, equity and inclusion. I’m seeing more and more companies mandate five days in the office, such a mistake,” Elsa Jasmine Nightingale, Canalys
Ian Kilpatrick, Asset Logic
“First by telling the kids about it and from an early age! Kids need to know we exist, that it’s a great career and you don’t have to be a coder or great at maths to get in. We’re a £100bn-a-year industry that is awash with career opportunities, and we welcome all groups including girls, neurodiverse, BAME, LBGT+,” Ian Kilpatrick, Asset Logic
Natalie Hailey, CAE Technology Services
“By leveraging tech’s power for good – focusing on sustainability, equity, and belonging – the IT channel can attract talent eager to make a real difference,” Natalie Hailey, CAE Technology Services
Daisy Pike, Pax8
“We’re on the verge of a revolution with AI and automation transforming IT services. This creates opportunities for new roles and thinking, attracting diverse talent eager to make a real impact, especially as the channel influences customer success in SMB/SME markets,” Daisy Pike, Pax8
Dr Colin Williams, Computacenter
“It may help significantly if the reseller players do more to explain what “the channel” really is and how it delivers value to technology vendors and customers alike (the recently formed TCA may help with this). Which means channel partners and the individuals who work within them need to tell their stories to a greater degree to showcase how exciting it is to be part of this ever-changing, continually reinventing industry,” Dr Colin Williams, Computacenter
Hayley Mooney, Bytes Software Services
“Firstly, we need to tell people about it! Not just schools, but we should be open to recruiting outside of industry. We need to consider how we reach new communities and train ourselves to not talk in technical lingo or in acronyms! We must look at education diversity, take advantage of apprenticeships and the talent pool that it opens for us. Working with local communities including schools and charities will also make a difference,” Hayley Mooney, Bytes Software Services
