World Youth Skills Day (15th July) – How the tech industry is tackling youth unemployment
David Graham, CEO and co-founder of kids coding specialist, Code Ninjas, is offering his expert insight for a thought-leadership piece – about the shortage of upskilled coders in the tech industry and how digital technology brands are providing a potential solution to the problem.
It’s World Youth Skills Day on Wednesday - a day committed to encouraging the leaders in our industries to nurture the next generation of talent. And this commitment is needed now, more than ever, with a significant shortfall in the number of young graduates to fill the UK’s estimated 750,000 tech sector vacancies1.
• A recent study by the International Labour Organisation states that young people aged 15-24 were three times more likely than adults to be unemployed once they attempt to enter the workforce2
• 73% of UK engineering and technology companies said they experienced problems with job candidates3
• However, the number of young people opting to study STEM subjects is up 26.2% since 2010.
The key issue? The companies that failed to recruit blame a lack of practical experience. These graduates possess the required know-how but not the necessary on-the-job experience.
Therefore, the digital technology leaders at the forefront of our industry should be utilising Generations Z and Alpha with the practical, hands-on experience that will be required of them by future employers.
David is keen to share his thoughts about the role tech leaders play in nurturing the next generation of tech sector talent. David feels particularly passionate about sharing this message, especially taking into account the potential implications of children’s long-term learning loss during the lockdown period. If this thought-leadership piece would be of interest, please get in touch.
Contact Kelly Ayres at Rev PR on 07895 876745 or email kelly@revpr.co.uk
1 Hired, 2016, The Skills Gap Analysis
2 International Labour Organisation, 2020, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs
3 The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2019, IET Skills and Demand in Industry
4 The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2016, Studying STEM: what are the barriers?