National Coding Week Inspiring Next Generation Digital Skills Gap

With automation, digital platforms, and other innovations causing significant shifts in our working world, it’s vital that the labour market evolves alongside the skills demand. People need to be equipped with the relevant skills to thrive in an economy which is increasingly built around digital technologies.

A recent report by Tech Nation, shows that over 50 per cent of the UK’s digital tech businesses are facing a shortage of skilled workers. In order to address this gap, more needs to be done to open out coding and digital skills to new audiences and remove barriers that are preventing people from wanting to explore, learn and work in this sector.

Other studies show that many older workers lack confidence in digital skills, while the gender gap in tech is another issue, with women filling only 17 per cent of the roles in the sector. With these challenges and barriers at play, it’s vital that networks and platforms are in place to support learning for people from all backgrounds.

These are just some of the reasons we’re supporting National Coding Week. We’re collaborating with our partners and customers across Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester on this brilliant initiative which aims to improve digital literacy and fill the growing digital skills gap in the UK.

In order to upskill a greater volume and diverse population across the UK, it’s vital that provision is in place to educate communities about the opportunities available in the tech sector and the career paths they might explore. Industry has a huge part to play in this process; sharing knowledge, skills, and experience across our communities will help to ensure that the tech sector isn’t a ‘closed shop’ to people who don’t know their C++ from their Python.

We’re working hard to tackle the tech gender gap and Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has partnered with Manchester Digital on the DigitalHer programme to inspire and encourage young women across Greater Manchester to consider a career in tech and digital.

In order to engage the next generation of young female coders, MSP is holding an Experience Day with Manchester Digital and Cisco atManchester Science Park during National Coding Week, where they’ll meet coders, pit their brains against some tough coding challenges, and see what it’s like to work in a tech business for a day.

This is just one of a series of events, social media competitions and Twitter and Instagram Q&A coding takeovers that we have compiled with our customers and communities during National Coding Week. We really want to shine a light on the innovative tech businesses we’re lucky enough to have across the North and Midlands, raise awareness of the tech sector, and the brilliant training and development opportunities available.

There will be an exciting programme of events and opportunities to engage that we hope will offer people a foothold from which to begin their digital skills journey, step out of their comfort zones, try something new and get a taste of what this sector is all about.

To find out more about what’s on offer, visit https://bruntwood.co.uk/national-coding-week-2019/