The study, Driving Digital Diversity, surveyed more than 2,000 people across the
The report highlighted five key areas which respondents believe are putting students off pursuing jobs in the sector:
Assuming they need a tech or IT orientated degree (49%)
A lack of tech or IT education at primary and secondary school (42%)
Tech not being highlighted as an attractive or exciting career path at school (41%)
The financial cost of pursuing a tech or IT education (29%)
A lack of understanding about the opportunities available (29%)
"It's clear that respondents' formative years play a pivotal role in shaping their ideas about tech careers. There's a misconception that an IT orientated degree is necessary to enter the industry, despite many tech roles not requiring a degree level qualification.
"This begins at school, where more action needs to be taken to promote careers in the field as attractive options that are open to everybody. The industry itself has a big part to play here, through better showcasing alternative routes into tech and placing a greater focus on transferable skill sets and people skills in job applications."
According to the research, a stronger emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) could go some way to encouraging more people into tech careers and help to plug the current industry skills gap, which is estimated to cost the digital economy £63bn annually.
Three-quarters (73%) of respondents said the IT industry could do more to encourage job applicants from different backgrounds - rising to 83% of respondents who work in tech and 90% of cyber security professionals polled.
Palmer added:
"Businesses with a diverse and inclusive workforce perform better and in turn generate different ideas, approaches and skill sets. The benefits are manifold, ranging from improving morale, boosting problem solving abilities, filling skills gaps and improving financial results. Addressing the lack of significant change in DE&I is therefore a matter of urgency and should be approached like any other business issue.
"Only through working closely with the broader tech ecosystem, including government, the education sector and specialist social enterprises, such as InnovateHer, can we truly address perceived barriers.
"Collaboration is essential to developing more effective curricula, driving place-based initiatives and offering a greater breadth of opportunities to people at an early age."
"By addressing the gaps in tech education at school level, we are empowering young people to break stereotypes and envision a future in the sector.
"Through our programmes in partnership with businesses such as
To learn more, download the report today. https://www.baesystems.com/en/digital/feature/driving-digital-diversity?utm_campaign=ddd1_barriers_apr&utm_medium=press_release&utm_source=pr_newswire
ENDS.
About BAE Systems Digital Intelligence:
Digital Intelligence is part of
Methodology Statement:
An online survey was conducted by Walr among 2053 UK respondents. Within this sample, quotas were applied to target 501 technology professionals, plus 520 specialists in cyber security. An additional sample of 1032 general consumers were targeted to compare their perceptions and experiences relating to the technology field. Respondents with a diverse range of characteristics were recruited for the research. They included people of varied age ranges, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic groups, genders, and from neurodivergent communities.
The research fieldwork took place between
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