The IT and Technology industry is an ever-evolving entity, which thrives on progression and innovation, but one lacking in fresh blood. A generation brought up on technology, young people are well sought-after within the sector because they can inject fresh ideas into its organizations. More obviously, the lack of young professional women is considerably lower that in young professional men, with only 13% of young women considering a job in technology, according to technation.io.
What is the young peoples perception of the IT and Tech Industry?
According to some studies taken by technation.io in the UK, young people are drawn to the tech industry for a number of reasons. Including:
- The fast-paced work environment that the industry provides
- Good pay
- Interest generated from well-known brands such as Apple and Microsoft
However, the organization recognised that some young people just weren’t interested in taking up a career in technology. The explanations as to why vary from quite simply not interested in technology, to not believing that they have the skill set.
Therefore, there is a clear need to promote the benefits of working in the IT and Tech industry, and also provide resources detailing what skills a young professional needs and how to acquire it. Only then will we see a rise in not only young professional seeking careers in the sector, but also more young women.
Exactly how do you do this?
PROMOTE THE BENEFITS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Good Salary: It’s clear that one of the biggest issues for young people is the ability to make a good salary at the end of every month. For this generation they want to make money fast, and the IT and Tech industry is best suited for that purpose, being one of the fastest-growing business sectors.
Flexibility of work: It’s also important to highlight for them the flexibility of working for the IT and Tech industry. It is completely possible to work from home and work when it best suits you. Not all industries can accommodate this, but it is easy to set up a home office where the work can still be done to the best standard.
BUILD STRONGER TIES BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND EDUCATION PROVIDERS
Education lags behind current systems and ways of working that are constantly being developed in IT and Tech organizations. According to proactive.it, this problem can be solved by improving relationships between businesses and education providers. In this case, young people graduating from these courses are then as up to date as possible, and ready to get started as soon as they start their new role.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMMES AND INTERNSHIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Similar to the previous point, however, slightly different. Mentorship programmes help to improve skills and also the confidence of the young professional. It gives them a taste of the career that they could have, and brings them up to date with your methods of working. It not only benefits the mentee, but the mentor as well.
If you’d like to found out how mentorship can benefit everyone then read our article here.
APPRENTICESHIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
It should be made apparent that not everyone makes the choice to go to a university or have a degree. It is also possible that perhaps they are making the decision to change their career path and find the IT and Technology sector an interesting prospect but have no prior experience. Apprenticeships allow these people, of any age, to start again and earn whilst learning. If a candidate chooses to complete their apprenticeship with your company and their experience is positive you can be rest assured that they will have a level of loyalty to the organization which may be difficult to find in other potential employees.
To Conclude
It is important that companies explore the ways that they can attract more young people into the IT and Tech industry. For an industry that continues to pioneer and innovate fresh blood is exactly what it needs. The points made in this article are the basis for what every IT and Tech company should be doing to attract more young people into their organizations.
If you would like to learn about how inclusiveness can benefit your organization then read our article here.