Sync NI finds out more about the many initiatives Bring IT On are currently working on to address the skills shortage and employability issues within the IT sector in Northern Ireland.
The mission of Bring IT On is to ensure that IT companies have an ongoing pipeline of skilled talent fit for industry needs.
Bring IT On showcases the opportunities and benefits of careers in IT for students and new entrants by raising awareness of the diverse career options in this exciting and ever-changing sector.
Bring IT On has a number of initiatives in place to help students into the IT sector. They deliver interactive workshops to students to raise awareness of career pathways and opportunities to work in IT.
The programme also matches schools with a Bring IT On Ambassador from the industry who can support students, teachers, and parents to improve their understanding of the IT Sector in Northern Ireland. Aswell as this, Bring IT On joins schools’ careers events throughout the year, as well as support events with ideas, literature, merchandise, and prizes.
There are also a number of events throughout the year which students and teachers can attend, learn more about the IT sector and meet with leading employers, Colleges, and Universities.
However, it’s not all events, workshops and social media. Between March and July of 2021 the team at Bring IT On undertook a research project into the attractiveness of the IT sector and the supply and demand gap with a focus on developing a longer-term approach to raising the awareness of the IT sector as a career pathway.
The research involved undertaking an independent assessment of the demand and future supply of skills for the IT sector, which would underpin activities required to enhance attractiveness of the sector.
The research also worked to review and update desk-based research of activities undertaken to promote the awareness of the IT of the sector as well as identifying gaps in provision and compiling recommendations for future delivery over the longer-term within a five-year programme of work and associated action plan.
The research was under consultation with a range of key stakeholders (Employers, DfE, FE Colleges, Universities, Invest NI, CCEA, School Students, Teachers, and Careers Advisors) to identify priority activities which need to be undertaken to enhance the awareness of the pathways into the sector.
These activities include: Identification of potential barriers and challenges to progressing a career in IT and determining how a 5-year programme can work to address this, Utilising a Digital Marketing Agency to consider how our four key pillars (new entrants, parents, teachers/careers advisors and employers) can be better reached in order to promote the careers progression pathway and identification of the key outputs and impacts that would underpin a 5-year programme of work.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2021/22 edition of the Sync NI magazine. You can download your FREE copy and sign up to receive future digital editions here.
