Talent Acquisition for the Future of Telecommunications

The terrifying fact is that in the UK 60% of telecoms engineers are over the age of 50 and may be starting to dream of retirement.

That’s fine, you might think, there must be thousands of aspiring telecoms engineers waiting in line. Unfortunately not. A recent study by Engineering UK shows that only 3% of technical telecoms workers are under 351 years old

We are heading towards the edge of the cliff

Leading the challenge of developing skills and talent at UKTIN, the innovation network for the UK telecommunications sector supported by DSIT, was certainly a revelation for me.

There is an estimated 30,000 telecom engineer shortage in the next 10 years. So what went wrong? Why isn’t there a pipeline of talent ready to move into telecom?

We set out to answer these questions. As well as analysing existing research, we conducted our own research. We spoke to over 120 stakeholders from within the sector – and beyond – to hear their views on the subject. We then invited these stakeholders to join a working group – the UKTIN Talent Advisory Group. Because it quickly became clear that while there were short-term opportunities, there was a significant task ahead

Sharing knowledge and strengthening actions

With such a big challenge, solving it requires the whole ecosystem to come together. That’s why we’ve created the UKTIN Talent Advisory Group, known as TAG. It’s made up of industry, of course, but also education, training providers, recruitment companies and even other sectors that have or have had similar challenges – we can all learn and help each other. TAG meets online every six weeks for a power hour, sharing ideas, adding insights and taking action. We have over 125 members and welcome new ones.

Cooperation with schools and universities

Implementing practical solutions to bring about change is not an easy or quick task, but it is a challenge we take seriously and it starts at school level.

Our work in schools and colleges has shown how little teachers, careers advisers and students know about telecommunications. In fact, when talking to young people, we have changed the positioning of “telecommunications” to “connectivity”: we need to speak a language that young people identify with.

We have created mini programmes for schools and students to engage their interest in connectivity so they can see and feel how it impacts their lives. Creating that spark of interest is essential before we delve into the many roles available now and in the future. And of course we know that technical roles in telecoms have changed rapidly in recent years with the introduction of more software, data analytics, cyber skills, AI and roles yet to emerge. But as technology changes in telecoms, so too do many other sectors. We are competing for the same talent. The high level of demand for a limited pool of talent is exacerbating the problem, which means it is time for us to take action.

Long-term project

Of course, for those organizations that are facing an immediate talent shortage, short-term solutions are needed, such as hiring from abroad to fill the immediate gaps. But of course, this is just a band-aid, and our long-term and focused attention should be on nurturing homegrown talent.

UKTIN has created a range of initiatives including the Young Ambassadors Programme, women in telecommunications initiatives, teacher toolkits, careers information and more.

We need a rich source of talent to continue the great work we are already doing in telecoms, making it a great career choice. This is a critical undertaking and we are proud to be leading this initiative.

To find out more about the UKTIN Talent Advisory Group, including how to join, visit UKTIN Talent Advisory Group | UKTIN

Exploring the potential of future telecommunications

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Future Telecoms is techUK’s investigation into what tomorrow’s connectivity will look like. We will highlight the criticality of communications to our future prosperity and economic growth, and how the future telecoms ecosystem acts as an engine for innovation. Visit our Future Telecommunications Center to learn more or sign up for regular updates.