Here at Give A Grad A Go, we’re passionate about launching graduate careers in IT (these roles make up almost a quarter of our placements), and we’ve launched 127 careers in IT in 2017 alone.
The digital economy is growing at twice the rate of the wider economy. It’s no surprise then, that hiring graduates in the IT sector is big business. Always a contentious subject, the “skills gap” – the idea that the demand for skills outweighs the supply of qualified candidates – has long been associated with the tech industry, and it’s a challenge that many employers have faced when hiring skilled employees for their business.
Fortunately, because of the relationships we’ve been building in the IT industry, and the continuous growth of our own student network, we have access to a number of highly skilled and talented graduates who are the perfect fit for these technical roles.
It’s also the reason why 2017 was one of our most successful years to date for hiring IT graduates across all types of businesses – from SMEs to global PLCs.
We’re privileged to have the expertise of our 3-strong team – Jordan, Penelope and Kieran - who work across a range of roles, and have particular interests in sourcing talented Software Engineers, Front End Developers and First Line Support respectively.
They work on a number of diverse and exciting roles, from Python Engineers to IT Support Analysts to Web Developers, across an incredibly varied client base. A breakdown of these roles offers further insight into the kind of jobs our graduates are being hired into:
We’re thrilled to have placed a large proportion of highly skilled graduates in IT support and Developer roles throughout 2017 – being, of course, roles that are hugely in-demand given the rapid growth of the IT industry.
We’re also proud to have worked with clients who have chosen to hire several graduates through Give A Grad A Go. For one such client - a successful financial software business - our CV sent to interview ratio was 73%, and offer to acceptance ratio an impressive 94%.
These numbers are excellent, and they substantiate the fact that our hard work is truly paying off. Aside from these numbers, though, it is still most important to us that we are continuing to build lasting relationships with clients - understanding their needs as a business both in terms of the skills they need to fill, and the people who will be the perfect fit.
What’s even better (or so we think) is that we are not only filling highly skilled jobs with talented graduates, but support functions within these businesses too.
Account Executive, Project Manager, and Sales and Business Development roles allow graduates who may not have a technical or vocational degree, but are keen to make waves in IT, to gain exposure to the industry. This year, we placed a graduate with an Italian & French degree in an operations role, and another with a BA in Arabic and a Masters degree in Business, in a job as an IT consultant.
So what does this mean for that much-discussed skills gap and graduate IT recruitment? We believe that hiring graduates in these kinds of roles is a way to begin to bridge it – and this could mean big things for the future of hiring in this sector.
In fact, if employers are willing to take on these candidates early on in their career, investing in training and development from the start, they could really save themselves money in the long-term, as these employees acquire the skills they need to take on more technical roles.
Something else that is very important to Give A Grad A Go is that there is a female presence in a historically male-dominated sector.
In 2017, IT placements showed an encouraging gender split of 60% male, 40% female, a slight improvement on our 2016 figure which showed a 61% / 39% split. This is, without question, a remarkable statistic; especially considering that a report from earlier this year stated that women made up just 17% of the UK IT sector.
We love catching up with the young women we’ve helped launch graduate careers in tech, and it’s great to hear from Emily, who we placed in a successful software consultancy earlier this year:
"When I initially spoke with Give A Grad A Go, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but I did know I wanted to be working with people. They suggested a client services role in IT, which I hadn’t really considered before, but as soon as I got to know more about it, sounded like a good fit for me personally.
After getting the job, I have been getting so much training in my new company, learning all about the products and services they offer. I’ve also started to learn about technical project management processes, which is exciting and a skill I’m looking forward to exploring more.
Overall, it is such a forward-facing industry that it provides an exciting intro into how the future will be shaped – and I would recommend speaking with the Give A Grad A Go team if you’re a woman looking to get into tech!"
As the sector continues to grow, Give A Grad A Go – specifically our fantastic IT & Tech desk - are dedicated to launching even more successful and fulfilling careers in tech, that we’re certain will be beneficial for graduates and businesses alike.
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