4 Ways to Get Over the Tech Skills Shortage in the U.K: A Brief Guide

According to a report by TechUK on the skills shortage, there are approximately 600,000 vacancies in the digital sector which costs the U.K. government £63 billion a year. As the technology industry in the U.K is growing by leaps and bounds, the demand for IT professionals is soaring too. The start-ups and SMEs working in the IT sector are constantly looking for proficient tech professionals to take care of their in-house projects. Not just that, most of these organizations also face a domain/sector-specific skills shortage.

Take a look at the statistical findings which will give you an idea about the sector-specific skills shortage in the U.K.

• Software Development (35%), Cybersecurity (54%), Business Intelligence, and Data Management (41%) are the top 3 skills in demand in the U.K. Industry.
• 50% of IT firm owners revealed that recruitment is a daunting and time-consuming process.
• Only 10% of professionals deemed themselves as ready to compete internationally.

Looking at the above statistics, we can say that when it comes to hiring highly-qualified technology experts or new-fangled IT talent, there needs to be a systematic recruitment strategy in place so that it becomes easy for organizations to thrive in today’s competitive market. Through today’s article, we will try to know about the strategies you can apply to tackle the skills shortage. So, here’s how you can go about it.

Provide Cross-Skills Training

Let’s say you already have a small IT team. In cases like this, whenever there is a scarcity of resources, you can find out if one of your staff members is keen to learn new skills and transit into a developmental role. It will be easier for you to do that as the person is already a part of your organization and is aware of the workings of your organization. By training them, you will also be able to save on the costs spent on training and spend it on back-filling their previous position.

Hire Based on Experience, Expertise, and Inclination towards Learning

When it comes to hiring a developer, a lot of factors need to be considered. For example, if you want to hire a developer with React Skills in Bristol, you might be able to find one. But if you are specific about finding a solutions architect having React skills in Bristol at a particular sum, it might get difficult for you. There might be chances of someone in the mentioned area has the skills that you’re looking for, but they’re already contracting at £450 per day from home or might be hired at £55K for a permanent role elsewhere.

Now, if you are not willing to spend an extraordinary amount on hiring someone, things might not work in your favor. To get over this issue, you can consider seeking help from an IT staffing solutions provider offshore who can provide you with the right talent for the right project or someone with an expert who can ensure that your project is taken care of. Or, you can hire someone with good problem-solving abilities. A good developer comes with the potential to learn and adapt to a new syntax in a matter of a few days.

Consider Hiring Fresh Graduates and Offer Paid Internships

A lot of experts are of the opinion that hiring fresh graduates and interns from local universities promotes technology careers and contributes to the growth of the organization. So, you can consider partnering with universities and offering placements to students by educating them on the technologies that your organization works on.

You can also offer apprenticeships and trainee programs for amateur professionals. Once you figure out the specific skills required in the region your company operates in, you can have a broader approach to overcoming skills shortages and end up hiring skilled professionals.

Other Strategies

It is important to understand that apart from a competitive salary, technology professionals also look for flexible work timings, work-from-home options, training programs to sharpen their current skills/learn new technologies, etc. You can also consider taking the following steps:

• Organize internal training sessions to upskill or move internal staff to senior positions
• Run advertising campaigns on social media platforms for hiring candidates
• Sign contracts with freelancers for short projects
• Partner with an IT Staffing Solutions Providers
• Get in touch with Head Hunter for permanent positions

Get Over Your Hiring Woes with TecBridge

At TecBridge(A Gateway Group Company), we believe that a degree in IT is not enough to fulfill client demands. And hence, we create a talent pool of tech teams that undergo training sessions to sharpen their existing skill-set along with their soft skills. Besides, we also help aspiring candidates to achieve prevailing certifications in the industry to help you bridge the talent gap.

If you are a U.K.-based firm looking forward to hiring IT professionals, write to us at info@tec-bridge.com and our experts will discuss the ways in which they can help you hire the right candidates for your project.