Yesterday, international IT services provider FDM Group hosted its first parliamentary reception at the House of Commons to discuss what business people, media and parliamentarians can do to encourage more young people to pursue a career in technology.
The event, entitled “delivering the technology skills for the 21st century economy” saw speeches from FDM’s CEO Rod Flavell and Barry Sheerman MP, former Chair of the Education and Skills Committee and the current Chair of the Skills Commission, and was attended by over 130 FDM staff, MPs and senior representatives from the banking and insurance industries, as well as professional bodies such as e-skills.
According to e-skills’ Technology Insights Report, there will be a demand for over half a million IT professionals over in the next five years in the UK alone but currently Computing and ICT A-levels taken in the UK constitutes just 0.5% and 1.4% of all A-levels taken respectively, a decline of 60% since 2003.
Addressing this worrying skills shortage, Flavell said, “We want to create an economy in technology that caters to everybody.
“FDM is about here, it’s about tomorrow and it’s about people’s ability to get through the first two years as an FDM Consultant and to go on and make their mark in information technology, and doing it in the UK is absolutely critical.”
During his keynote speech, Barry Sheerman MP said, “The whole world is changing and we’re not quite noticing it. Together, with the leadership of people like FDM, we are going to make this country high skilled and that is the future I want.”
Flavell closed the speeches by awarding FDM Consultants for their hard work. Leanne Lawrence was awarded as the FDM Consultant of the Year for her success whilst placed with UBS. Lawrence also volunteers at the UBS Bridge Academy helping a number of students prepare for their GCSE Maths exams.
The second award, FDM Female Champion of the Year, was given to Charlotte Keens, an FDM Consultant also placed with UBS. Keens regularly speaks and mentors other female FDM trainees and Consultants to guide their professional development.
FDM is the UK’s leading IT graduate employer and its award-winning graduate programme offers graduates the opportunity to undertake technical training in six service areas. After completing their training, they become FDM Consultants and progress to represent FDM on one or more client sites for a minimum of two years in order to gain critical commercial experience.