Curo Talent tackles skills gap challenges: CVs, interview skills and location
Microsoft recruitment partner Curo Talent, visited City College Plymouth to deliver a CV writing workshop to IT students planning to embark on a career in IT. This session aimed to equip the students with CV writing skills and to ensure students do not become disconnected from their qualification when entering the job market.
Using an exemplar CV, the 16 to 18-year-old students, were shown how to produce a resume that highlights key achievements, showed maturity and was formatted correctly. However, discussions soon turned to wider issues in the British IT market, and the challenges these students can expect to face after graduating.
Jarek Grzeskowiak, delivery lead at Curo Talent, led the event. "Working in specialised IT recruitment, I have gained a unique insight into what’s happening in the IT sector. For these students, they are yet to experience what it’s like to work in this industry and often, they do not have any specific goals in regard to the exact area they would like to specialise in. A CV is the first opportunity to impress, and it must correspond with goals of the candidates.
"Some IT students arrive to the professional environment without a clear career path in mind. They often forget about their original goals, and sometimes even take on a non-IT role. Visiting the college served as an opportunity to present the different routes available within the IT realm. To keep these students on the correct path, we suggested that they plan their careers strategically.
"The take home message was simple. The CV of a 16-year-old college graduate is a blank canvas. Too often, people choose to keep the content of their CV somewhat generic because they believe it will keep more doors open. However, that is not necessarily the best option in the IT sector. We want these young people to be confident in finding their dream IT job. The IT skills gap is real and provides a lucrative opportunity for talented IT graduates."
The location of these young people, Plymouth, was also highlighted as a potential challenge. While the city is attracting more students to study IT at its colleges, this isn't correlating with the local IT job market. The discussion ensued on how the thriving IT businesses that are based in the likes of London, Reading and Manchester should be more accommodating of remote working, meaning the students would not need to relocate to find work in the industry.
Mark Trewin, Director of Creative, Cultural and Digital Industries at City College Plymouth, said: "All of our courses at the College are designed with employability in mind and we work closely with local employers to ensure we meet any skills gaps in Plymouth’s growing digital hub. Digital technology companies operating in the City generated £122million in profit turnover in 2017 and there are over 6,500 jobs in Plymouth.
"Curo Talent also provided students with a real insight into the range of careers available within the sector on a national scale which was great, especially as many of these students may choose to progress on to university-level courses or Apprenticeships across the country."
Feedback from the IT students at the end of the workshop was resoundingly positive. In fact, Curo Talent will return to the college later this year to provide further training on interview skills.