Leading consulting firm Accenture will donate almost half a million pounds towards supporting young people facing barriers to employment to access careers in software engineering.
The Tech Talent Accelerator is a free software engineering bootcamp for young people not in education, employment or training. It is delivered by EdTech start-up Multiverse and the international non-profit youth employability programme Generation UK.
Over the six-week programme, participants gain technical skills such as coding, full stack development, and web development utilising languages and frameworks such as Java, JavaScript, HTML and CSS. The bootcamp is completely free for eligible participants who are 18-24 years old and do not have a university degree.
Accenture is supporting people from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities to gain access to skills required to help them move into employment and thrive in the digital Economy through its Skills to Succeed programme. The £450,000 donation will fund apprenticeships predominantly at Small & Medium Enterprises for graduates of the Tech Talent Accelerator, facilitating participants to jump straight into a software engineering career at a company in need of talented tech apprentices.
Digital and tech roles now account for more than a fifth of all jobs in the UK, while 60% of employers report a technical skills gap as the biggest barrier to achieving their business objectives over the next three years.
The Tech Talent Accelerator was founded in 2020 to address this challenge, providing world-class training in technology.
The program is also focused on driving representation and diversity in the fast-growing tech industry. Just 17% of people working in tech are females, and only 2% are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Through outreach and recruitment, the programme is able to reach those underrepresented groups. Over the last 12 months, 80% of participants are from an ethnic minority background, while 50% are female.
Candida Mottershead, Human Resources Director, Accenture UK & Ireland, said: “It’s a challenging time for young people as they navigate what is already an uncertain time at the beginning of their careers. When you pair this with the fact that the pandemic has exacerbated what was already a significant digital skills gap, we risk letting down and missing the potential of a talented generation. As the demand for technology skills continues to grow, businesses must do all they can to empower young people with the skills they need to succeed in their career, which is why schemes like this are vital.”
Euan Blair, founder and CEO of Multiverse, said: "We started the Tech Talent Accelerator to find high potential young people from underrepresented backgrounds and give them the training needed to access the best apprenticeship opportunities. To find exceptional talent, every company must broaden their horizons and not simply focus on hiring from the same sources. This funding from Accenture will help those on the programme to start a range of brilliant apprenticeships in data and tech, while also supporting small businesses and startups across the country to take on outstanding apprentices.”
Multiverse matches talented individuals with careers and delivers world-class training in a wide range of qualifications in leadership, digital and technology. Apprentices benefit from one-to-one coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes, putting them in the best position possible for their future career.
On June 11th, Multiverse and Accenture will present at a webinar 'Accenture’s Tech Talent Accelerator: Solving the Digital Skills Gap' to discuss how the Tech Talent Accelerator programme solves key business challenges.
