What is wrong with us anyway? For years we've been shouting that we're short of tech workers, but what are we doing about it? Grab the Techbarometer 2017. ROVC asked 1164 employers in industry and utilities about their expectations on market, organisational, HR, and training trends in engineering. More than half of the respondents said there was a shortage of technicians in the past five years. And the vast majority expect this problem to continue in the next five years.
How next?
We know exactly what the causes are. The connection between education and business is not right and, of course, we suffer from an ageing population. Anno 2017, we also still moan about the poor image of the technical sector. OK, so we have been shouting this for years.
Take action
The Techbarometer shows that respondents believe that initiatives should come from the business community itself to stop the shortage of tech workers. Nice! So we know the problems we face. The causes are known and we have to solve it ourselves. So let's do just that!
Proclaiming tech message
Fortunately, around me I see more and more tech companies inviting young people to show that the prevailing view of working in tech is wrong. And as far as I am concerned, we also target young children. Technical lessons every week at primary school. Hupsakee, right from group 1! Techies who are truly committed to the future of their field should be given time and resources to preach the tech message. And if you have been working at the same tech organisation for between 11 and 30 years (and that's a whopping 66% of the tech workforce), I think you are more than committed to your profession.
Transferring knowledge
OK, that ageing population is of course a thing. 57% of technicians are between 41 and 65 years old. In not too long, there will be a large outflow of people retiring. This will exacerbate the shortage, and there is also a good chance that a lot of knowledge will be lost. Let us respond to this quickly. With training, but also by already attracting young people or people who want to retrain. Put them alongside experienced colleagues. That way, important skills can be transferred and companies will be well prepared for the future departure of employees.
Shaking up the world
All in all, I am convinced that many young people could find their niche in a tech company just fine. After all, if you want to build a future, certainties like job guarantees and longer tenures come in handy. To show them how nice it is in the technical world, I would like to suggest the following: Are you experiencing something worth sharing in your technical work environment? Then do so with the hashtag #techniekisleuk. And above all, let's share each other's posts. That way, the #techniqueisleuk oil slick will spread by itself. Because one techie can make a difference, but together we shake up the world.
This blog was written by Astrid van Ballegoy, view her profile here.
