Plugging the tech talent gap

According to Google’s start-up hub, Campus London, the biggest obstacle preventing start-ups scaling up to the next level is the difficulty of finding people with the right skills to employ.

The hub therefore partnered with start-up job board, Unicorn Hunt, to host the first Start-up Job Fair there, where 42 growing start-ups had jobs on offer and Google held workshops and panels on how candidates can find the right start-ups to join them.

Interestingly, however, of the 900 attendees, only one fifth had the right set of technical skills for the available roles, leaving a big gap between supply and demand. In addition, those with the relevant technical skills were predominantly men.

However, there could be help on the horizon to plug both the skills and gender disparity gap, as the F-Disruptors programme, which started in the North West, where it has been offering support and training in tech to women, has just been showcased on the Campus North’s Tech for Life initiative, which aims to help by offering support and training for all.

A spokeswoman for Tech for Life said that not only is there an overall digital skills gap but there is a real need to get more young women interested in a career in these areas.

She added that Tech for Life was set up to inspire and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs, developers and designers and aims to deliver events, support and training that will encourage more women into the field, from skills training to mentoring and peer to peer learning like F-Disruptors.

Meanwhile, commenting on being part of the Tech for Life Initiative. Founder of F-Disruptors, Debbie Edwards, said that they want to ensure that young women embrace the opportunities that both programmes offer.