Careers in Digital Technology
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Presentation delivered by Ketty Lawrence, Project Manager: Digital Skills, SDS at the 'Technology is too important to be left to men ...' event organised by College Development Network on 25th May, 2018
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Careers in Digital Technology
- 1. Careers in Digital Technology
- 2. Technology is penetrating our lives...
- 4. New innovations are happening all the time...
- 5. Technology is used in every sector… Agriculture Financial Services Sports & Leisure Tourism Retail Energy Hospitality Healthcare Creative Industries
- 6. • Fastest growing sector in Scotland! • Number of tech businesses has increased 53% in last 5years • Over 90,000 working in digital technology roles • Requires an additional 12,800 new entrants every year Digital technologies sector is growing... People employed in tech roles
- 7. There are loads of companies to work for!
- 8. There are lots of jobs across Scotland...
- 9. Tech jobs are rewarding!
- 10. Digital offers career choice...
- 11. Employer demand for roles? Not all jobs in the technology sector require technology qualifications!
- 12. What skills are employers looking for? Good Knowledge of Programming Language/s Excellent Communication Skills Motivation & Ability to Self Learn Analytical thinking Passion for Technology Problem Solving Team work Computational Thinking Maths Skills Creative Thinking
- 13. Graduates Apprenticeships - FA, MA, GLA Clubs & Events Placements & Internships Routes into tech jobs…
- 14. Pathways through study and apprenticeships School Foundation Apprenticeships College Modern Apprenticeship University Graduate Apprenticeship Digital Technologies Profession Transition Training e.g. Code Clan Returners Career Changers Graduates
- 15. Attracting females Careers Awareness Perceptions - Geek! Challenges Parents
- 17. Role models & outreach activities Marketplace
- 18. Helpful links and resources • Technology Careers CDP module on CDI HERE • www.digitalworld.net – information about technology study, retraining and careers • www.apprenticeships.scot/digital-technology- apprenticeships/ - info about tech apprenticeships and vacancies • www.digitalxtrafund.scot – information about extracurricular tech clubs • Research report on Scotland’s Digital Technologies sector and jobs • ScotlandIS map of some tech companies in Scotland
- 19. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS?
Editor's Notes
- Ketty Lawrence, Digital Sector team at Skills Development Scotland Client services at App and games developer Technology is exploding in Scotland and bringing with it a wealth of opportunities for our young people but this is not widely known by females and their influencers. I’m going to share information about the increasing demand for tech skills, breadth of technology careers available, routes and pathways into the sector and how we can help females and their influences to become better aware of these.
- We all know that Technology in penetrating every aspect of our lives
- We all interact with technologies at school and work, at home and for leisure. In just 1minute worldwide on the internet all these interactions happen and they are all only made possible by technology. But our use of technology is much wider than just our phones and the internet!
- Our use of digital technology is accelerating rapidly and there are new innovations happening all the time. We have: SMART fridges that can order our groceries 3D printed skin to treat burns victims in hospitals New payment systems like contactless technology Smart clothing, wearable technology like fitness trackers and driverless cars There is even a SMART toilet that uses technology to measure your health by analysing your pooh!
- Technology is used in every sector in Scotland! No exceptions! In farming we have tractors that monitor soil, weather and crop yields In hospitality and tourism we have online booking and Interactive exhibits Financial Services –are a big employer of technology staff working in areas like online banking, new payment systems like contactless technology and cyber security. Healthcare – We are seeing increasing amounts of technology in healthcare, technology which enables remote consultation for patients in remote areas, surgery via robotics and bionic limbs which helps people who have lost limbs. There is also an increasing use of technology in healthcare as the more data we can collate and analyse can lead to trends being identified which can help new cures being developed and allows us to better diagnose diseases. There is also an increasing use of data based technologies across all these sectors shown including: - We collect data on purchasing behaviour in retail We have sports clothing and fitness trackers that can monitor our vitals We collect data on wind and water to assist in energy production This shows how important digital technology skills and jobs are for ALL industries in Scotland.
- Digital technology forecast to be the fastest growing sector in Scotland to 2024 The number of tech businesses has increased 53% in last 5years – that’s almost 3 times as fast as all businesses across Scotland There are now over 90,000 people working in technology roles in Scotland – only 40% of these people work in technology companies. 60% work in other sectors such as finance, creative industries, energy and life sciences Recent research forecasts that Scotland’s needs around 12,800 new digital technology professionals every year to cover new jobs and replace those people leaving the tech workforce due to retirement etc.
- Technology employers are based across Scotland and range from start-ups and microbusinesses to multinational companies. There are hugely diverse, operating in all different industries from software, media and banking to charities and public sector employers. They are also located across Scotland from Ayrshire, Isle of Skye and Inverness to Moray, Aberdeen, Dundee and the Central Belt Here are some examples: Hollinger Scott are a Digital Communications Agency in Dumfries Sitekit are a Digital Health company on the Isle of Skye CompanyNET are a small company based in Edinburgh and Glasgow – they create company intranets, just like the SDS connect site. Dogfi.sh mobile are based in Stirling – they make mobile apps Fujitsu based in Inverness, Dundee and Edinburgh – they provide IT services to businesses and organisations. Atos based in Moray, Dundee, Glasgow, Livingston and Edinburgh – they provide IT services to Scottish Government and Public sector FanDuel is a fantasy sports software company based in Edinburgh. Police Scotland, Optical Express, NHS and British Gas are good examples of traditional companies that now employ technology staff. Dundee is a hotspot for tech businesses and tech employers In Dundee you have big tech companies like Fujitsu and Atos as well as creative technology employers in Gaming and digital media EG Outplay games and DC Thompson 6% of tech business located in Fife (3rd to Edinburgh and Glasgow) SDS tech report “More than 350 businesses in the sector, employing more than 3,300 people, are currently based in Dundee and the surrounding area generating a combined annual turnover in excess of £185 million.” Johnston Carmichael, Talks about Dundee tech innovators and tech incubators: The guide praises Dundee Technopole for being at the centre of a community of “commercial and research excellence”. It said Seabraes was “becoming a hub for digital media and cultural industries, incorporating both commercial and residential space.” and that the Space Technology Centre, set within the School of Computing at the University of Dundee, conducts “nationally and internationally leading research into space technology”. It adds: “Dundee is renowned for its expertise in digital media and creative industries.
- With all these companies, There are loads of jobs in digital technology – right now across Scotland – and at all levels Monster Jobs search This is literally just the first jobs that came up Edinburgh, Livingston, Dundee, Stirling, Glasgow And they are at All levels Trainee, Apprentice, Graduate, Junior, Senior – actually most are entry level in these captures
- Technology jobs pay really well, higher than many other sectors. And because employers have high demand, salaries for people with technology skills are growing much faster than other types of jobs. The average Tech salary is £37,500 vs £28,000 for Scotland. Some areas like Cyber and Data average more than Accountants and Lawyers! Because there is such huge demand for technology professionals, salaries are growing much faster than salaries across Scotland too. Salaries for Modern Apprentices also tend to be higher than average. Money isn’t everything though. Tech jobs are also hugely rewarding because you get to work on products and services that make a huge difference to businesses and people’s lives. That’s important to us females!
- These digital technology jobs are wide ranging and exciting There are lots of jobs obvious areas of games development and software engineering, new emerging areas such as cyber security, data analytics and digital healthcare which people might not have heard about. opportunity to blend different career interests, Someone very creative might like digital media someone interested in helping people might think about the difference they could make to people by working in digital healthcare.
- So what type of jobs do employers have? There are lots of jobs which involve technical skills like developers/programming, cyber security, technical engineers and data analysis. But employers are also looking for project managers, customer facing people, sales and marketing professionals and designers. These roles require people who can combine an understanding of technology with softer skills like creativity, communication, team working and customer service. Not all jobs in the technology sector require technology qualifications, but they do need people who understand how technology works. Software designers/developers, Cyber Security professionals and Sales and Marketing staff are currently highest in demand from employers and these jobs are expected to continue to grow alongside newer areas like data analytics.
- So what skills are employers looking for? Different jobs need different skills but these are the common ones employers say are beneficial. People don't need to have all of these, but the more they can combine the more attractive a prospective employer might think they are. Technical roles will require good maths skill and computational thinking but there is also a huge need for creativity and softer skills too. The two top skills that employers cite the most are problem solving and teamwork. These are really important for all technology roles because the creation of new products and services requires whole teams of people. Employers often say that the softer skills can be more beneficial than the hard skills. If a young person has maths skills, computational thinking, team work and problem solving employers say they have the underlying skills to be developers and they can teach the technical skill required.
- There are lots of different pathways for people to enter into the sector. A key message we want to get across is that you DO NOT need to go to university! There are Loads of courses at Uni And over half of female graduates move into the sector from other graduate disciplines such as business, creative subjects and sciences Lots of opps for grads and most big companies run grad schemes But there are lots of other routes in too Tech Apprenticeships are expanding rapidly and now offered at Foundation, Modern and Graduate levels FA software, hardware, digital media MA – can lead to careers in Software Development, Hardware and systems, Cyber Security, Data Analytics and App Development. GA in software, IT mgt for business and cyber It’s not uncommon for females to move onto a tech Apprenticeship after already pursuing a college course in something else first Extracurricular clubs and events are a good way to start engaging with young people (particularly girls) and help them to experience technology learning and activities. Opportunity for colleges to be involved in running these – check out DigitalXtraFund.scot Employer also offer placements - Equate runs the careerwise placement programme for females in STEM And internships ref FindMyPast (DC Thompson) if in the room.
- There are lots of progression routes between different study and apprenticeships. Young people can go from school (including a Foundation Apprenticeship) to college, university or on to a Modern or Graduate apprenticeship College leavers can pursue tech via University or Apprenticeship route Graduates from nontech disciplines, adult returners and career changers can reskill in tech via transition training such as CodeClan or online courses Employers really supportive of these mixed pathways because they are often interested in recruiting people from STEM and other backgrounds into tech.
- There are various challenges contributing to the digital technology skills gap and underrepresentation of females in the pipeline. The main ones to be aware of are: Perceptions – many people still perceive tech to be boring and geeky, particularly girls Careers awareness – young people and influencers lack awareness of the opportunities in digital technology. For example don’t realise there is an entire industry of jobs behind the tech they use everyday. Parents don’t realise how well paid digital technology jobs are or how rewarding. Attracting females - The proportion of females in the digital technology workforce is declining and is only 18%. That figure is fairly consistent across the pipeline with low proportion of those studying computing science at school, college, university and technology apprenticeships being female. Research has found that females enjoy technology but they don’t identify with it as a career. And there are still stereotypical views held about technology being for boys which is absolutely not the case! Women are thriving in technology roles and they are high in demand! It’s important that we help these groups become aware of the opportunities in digital technology and high demand for people with technology skills. Some things which helps us do this>>>
- Digital World is an industry-led careers marketing campaign to raise awareness of careers in the digital technologies sector. Challenges people to think about becoming digital makers, not just consumers of technology. We know young people don’t realise there is an entire industry behind the tech they use everyday. Digital world aims to: Increase awareness and change perceptions of Digital careers Encourage uptake of technology related subjects, courses and training Encourage females to consider technology related courses and careers Colleges can support Digital World by helping to spread the word We also have a CPD module for careers advisers. Currently available through CDI with a session running 4th September. Working with the Digital Skills Partnership to take careers awareness and employer insights out more widely to college and university staff
- Add slide on how we help get girls into tech by opening their eyes to career opportunities DW feature role models in careers awareness activities – press, online campaigns, events Marketplace - Online platform connecting schools/colleges with employers to help bring industry insight into the classroom via workshops, talks, workplace visits and placements Run regionally by DYW College staff Access via their MyWOW website account SWIT – raise awareness of females in technology and celebrate role models via awards and roadshow STEM Ambassadors – great way to involve your female technologists to help you engage in schools Fantastic SmartSTEMs who you will hear from next!