A consortium of more than 200 tech leaders has signed a pledge to overcome barriers in the tech employment arena including gender bias and minority under-representation.
Representatives from leading tech firms, government and other industry bodies have come together under the Tech London Advocates umbrella to help educate and attract young people to careers in the sector.
Although there are currently 48,000 live vacancies for roles in the tech sector at present according to Adzuna, there is a huge skills gap in the UK, particularly in London, meaning these jobs go unfilled. Alongside this, minority groups are desperately under-represented in the sector, whether referring to gender, ethnicity, young people, disabled people and the LGBTQ+ community.
"It is wonderful to see leading figures from the UK tech community pledging their commitment to this cause in such high numbers," said Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates.
"Talent is the most pressing issue faced by digital businesses both big and small and only through joint action can we make a lasting difference. The tech sector is one of Britain's stand out industries, and by strengthening its foundations we can sustain its growth, and keep Britain at the forefront of global innovation."
The pledge promises to reduce the gender imbalance, carry out an aggressive policy for inclusion of under-represented groups, use the education system as an enabler to access a bigger audience and reform the immigration process to help fill roles by talented individuals looking to relocate and revolutionise the UK's tech economy.
"A key part of future-proofing UK's tech sector and maintaining a strong talent pool is Immigration," said Pat Saini, an immigration lawyer at Penningtons Manches.
"Visa categories including Tier 2 visas for high-skilled workers need to be streamlined to allow for the growing demand for talent in the tech industry."
