Private sector collective Tech London Advocates is calling on universities across the capital to up the employability of graduates entering the world of tech.
The group, made up of prominent members of the tech community, came down hard on the skills of those leaving higher education in an internal poll.
It’s not the only sector they’ve focussed on: last year TLA founder Russ Shaw argued in Tech City News that the private sector needed to do more to fuel tech growth.
Now bringing the two issues together, the group says educators and businesses should work more closely together to address the on-going talent shortage faced in the capital.
‘Average to poor’ employability
In an internal poll, 64% of TLA members graded the employability of British computer science graduates as average to poor due to failings in their training.
70% believed London doesn’t have the skilled graduates to keep up with the sector’s growth.
The group says the private sector and universities should collaborate to raise awareness about job opportunities in technology and identify the skills required by the digital community.
Positions members found hardest to recruit are software developers (30%), engineers (12%) and product managers (10%).
Moving forward
TLA nevertheless praised this year’s spotlight on digital skills, with the introduction of the computing curriculum and private sector digital skills schemes making the British public more digitally aware.
Russ Shaw gave Tech City News a taste of how he thinks universities and businesses could collaborate:
Universities can keep their degrees relevant through establishing work placements into courses, involving private sector professionals in teaching and working alongside dedicated Digital Mentors in established companies.