The UK is in the midst of a digital skills shortage: the tech sector is growing rapidly, and we do not have enough skilled people to fill all the available job opportunities. On top of this, the tech sector is lacking in diversity. 26% of the tech workforce are women, and in the last year the proportion of women working as IT professionals has actually fallen. Black women are even more under-represented in tech, making up just 0.7% of IT Professionals.

It seems obvious that one way to combat the digital skills shortage is to diversify the tech workforce, and encourage people from under-represented backgrounds to engage with tech. One obstacle in achieving this task comes in recruitment: many technology companies still only recruit from traditional sources, like Computer Science graduates. The issue here is that you are already recruiting from a non-diverse talent pool: Only 19% of Computer Science degree students in 2022 were women.

So what can be done? In addition to outreach activities in schools to help get more women interested in Computer Science, tech organisations can also look to other communities and entry routes into tech, and take them as seriously as university graduates. Recruiting from new sources means you reach a new set of untapped talent, and inherently increase your workforce diversity as you are more likely to hire people with many different perspectives and skillsets.

Here are five examples of different routes into tech that organisations and people looking to get into tech should consider:

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship Schemes are a great way to get a formal education whilst also learning on the job. Apprentices typically work full time for the majority of the week (3-4 days per week, depending on the scheme) and then complete formal study activities for the remaining days. There is still a misconception that tech jobs don’t have apprenticeship schemes. Many people still associate apprenticeships with vocations like construction, carpentry or hair dressing, and whilst these sectors do all have apprenticeships, many other sectors do too!

In the tech sector, you can complete apprenticeships in subjects including software development, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure. The British Computing Society accredits many technology apprenticeships in the UK and has a lot of information for apprentices and employers about available schemes.

Apprentices are also not just for school leavers! There are many different levels of apprenticeship, ranging from A-Level equivalents all the way up to Masters Degree equivalents. There are apprenticeships available that recruit graduates and career professionals with varying amounts of experience. So whether you are looking to get into tech straight from school, or looking to swap careers after university or time in another role, an apprenticeship could be for you!

Benefits of an Apprenticeship

• Gain a formal qualification whilst earning a full-time wage
• Structured learning and support which is paid for and organised by your employer
• Many qualification levels available
• Apprentices can be at any stage in their education or career, you just need to be aged 16 or over
• Helps you achieve accreditation with professional bodies (e.g. RITTech Status).

Bootcamps

Coding and Software Development bootcamps and partnerships schemes are readily available. There are many different providers out there offering courses in web development, cloud services, machine learning and more! Coding bootcamps generally operate on full- or part-time schedules and last from 3-6 months. A full-time bootcamp usually runs for 12 weeks and includes several hours of class time daily. Most part-time bootcamps to run for 24 weeks with fewer class hours per week.

Bootcamps normally have no pre-requisites for entry, and aim to upskill people to be ready for entry-level tech roles. You won’t require any specific education level, or need any previous experience of coding. The courses are structured more like a traditional teaching environment in that you will have assessments and homework to complete. One thing to note with bootcamps is that they are rarely free. Many boot camps cost between £6,000 and £15,000 to complete. There are some grants and bursaries available from providers to reduce the costs, and many let you pay in installments. If you choose to study full-time, you are unlikely to have time to work at the same time. They are quite a large commitment of money and time, but often worth it if you are looking to upskill, retrain and grow your network.

Bootcamps also often partner with tech organisations to support their recruitment. What this means is that if you successfully complete a bootcamp course, you may be recommended to a partner tech organisation for a role and will be fast tracked into the interview process. If you’re looking to complete a bootcamp, it’s worth investigating which companies they partner with and seeing if you’d like to work there. You can find a list of UK skills bootcamps on the UK Government website.

Benefits of Bootcamp

• Readily available (if you have the finances to pay for it)
• Quick course completion – you can learn basic skilsl in 3 months if you take a full time course!
• Bootcamps often partner with organisations meaning you get a job interview after completing your course
• No entry requirements in terms of education
• Jack of all trades approach – great when looking to get an entry level role.

Horizontal Career Moves

Not all roles in technology are technical!

There are many different way to get your foot in the door at a tech company: you could work in sales, project management, administration, marketing, finance, HR – you name it! Many technology businesses have these roles available, and whilst it’s not a technical role, working in these roles at a technology company will give you great exposure to the industry and help you learn more about the tech landscape. You can also grow your network once you’re in the company and learn about the skills you need to enter a more technical role (if you’d still like one!).

People working in non-technical roles often get a greater understanding of the wider context of the tech business and pick up lots of transferrable skills. Once you’ve spent some time in whichever role you are in, you can see if your organisation offers horizontal career moves that give you the chance to enter a technical role and this could get your started on a different career ladder.

Benefits of a Horizontal Move:

• Get your foot in the door early with a job that suits your current skillset, meaning you can continue to earn and learn
• Grow your network
• Develop transferrable skills
• Gain exposure to the tech world
• Internal moves can be easier than external ones.

Self-Teaching

If a formal educational structure isn’t for you, and you don’t want to do a non-technical role, you could always teach yourself! There are many online, self-study platforms such as CodeAcademy, Coursera and Pluralsight that allow you to learn at your own pace. Some courses are free, but the paid courses are also not usually very expensive and in the region of £10 – £50 per course.

You can also find video tutorials on Youtube, or forge your own path by designing your own projects. You can get inspiration from the internet (e.g. GitHub, Advent of Code), books, magazines or your own imagination. Everyone learns in different ways, and if you prefer to learn by doing then self-study may be a great option for you, particularly if you are still trying to work or study full-time alongside this.

The key thing to remember with self-study is to keep evidence of what you’ve done. Building up a portfolio of courses you’ve completed, skills you’ve learned and projects you’ve finished will play a key part when it comes to applying for jobs. Upload your code to a free, public repository like GitHub, or create your own blog/website so that you can show it to future employers.

Benefits of Self-Study:

• Free or low-cost
• Learn at your own pace
• Choose what projects you want to complete
• Great way to learn by doing.

Returners Schemes

Finally, if you have been on a career break for any reason and you’d like to get back into the tech sector – look for returners schemes. These schemes are specifically designed for people looking to re-enter the tech workforce. They often offer dedicated training and tutoring resources to help you strengthen your skillset and they provide you with a structured support system to help you settle back in to working life.

Returners schemes are becoming more popular now with larger tech organisations. They can offer full or part-time roles depending on your needs, and give you 6-18 months to develop your skillset before making the transition into permanent employment. These schemes often don’t have any pre-requisites, other than applicants needing to have been on a career break for a specified amount of time. The reason for the break, your previous employer and your current skillset doesn’t usually matter. It can be a good way to build your confidence back up!

Benefits of a Returners Scheme:

• Tailored specifically to those who have had a career break
• Offer a structured tutoring, training and support system
• Immediate start in full or part time working, with strong prospects of a permanent role.