Birmingham leading the way in light of the skills shortage?

The School of Code is offering a free 16-week coding course based in Birmingham. No previous technical experience is needed, or any sort of prior knowledge of subjects like Maths. All the course wants to see is motivation, creativity, an interest in tech and solving problems. What does this mean for Birmingham and the skills shortage?

Serviceteam IT’s Beyond the Cloud: UK Technology Research 2018 found that a skills shortage was a major concern for businesses. It has prevented innovation and perfecting the current applications. Yet, this was contrasted with the want for rising use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and blockchain. The purpose of the School of Code is to promote a more equal tech world with diversity and inclusivity. The origin of the bootcamp was because Chris Meah believed tech is a golden opportunity for fairer employment. This is with the hope of teaching the students skills to leap into the industry. From Serviceteam IT’s research, this is clearly necessary. Training needs to adapt to fit the job landscape.

Key things the School of Code offer:

• Full time 9am-5pm from Monday to Friday in Birmingham
• The bootcamp is free
• The environment is supportive and collaborative
• Anyone is welcome
• Each bootcamper is paired with a professional software expert
• Industry talks and away days to tech giants
• 90% of graduates find jobs within three months of graduating
• Dedicated recruitment partner
• Weekly networking events

Not only that but it will help the area of the West Midlands. Although London is still the tech giant of Great Britain, Birmingham is the second biggest city in the UK. With this comes a greater number of young people, a workforce and places for investment. The tech industry needs to diversify and expand to keep up with the global technological race. Schools like this one can only help and ensure opportunities for this ever-growing city and help plug the skills shortage.

The diversity of Birmingham

The diversity of the city’s residents brings a rich cultural mix to Birmingham and this diversity is something that the city is very proud of. 30% of Birmingham’s residents are of minority ethnic origin and it is home to Europe’s first arts centre dedicated to developing and promoting African, Caribbean and Asian arts and culture. Link

The city’s people have an enthusiasm for expressing themselves – from film to dance, art to architecture – Birmingham’s independent arts scene thrives on its diversity. Link

The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has congratulated the first cohort of the bootcamp and has wished them future success in their tech careers. There is clearly support from the governmental side of the West Midlands in order to tackle the skills shortage. This is arguably because, again, they can see the success of a booming tech industry in this area.

The second wave of the course has already started but keep an eye out for the third wave or other opportunities in the West Midlands to aid this industry boom.

Birmingham Snapshot

• 3,000 tech businesses generate £2billion for the local economy
• Largest tech sector outside London
• Variety of tech-friendly workspaces, rich mix of investors, tech specialists and research institutes
• Birmingham is the number one region for innovation
• The West Midlands has been chosen as the home of the UK’s 5G technology. This has been supported by £150 million of investment.
• Home of the largest tech sector in the UK outside London
• Over 110,000 students graduate every year from 20 universities in the wider region, including 14,000 with FinTech-related qualifications

Therefore, it is likely investment opportunities of this kind will continue to thrive in Birmingham and help alleviate the skills shortage.