KPMG partners with Generation to make IT careers more accessible

A new partnership to help young people from underprivileged backgrounds start their technology careers has been launched. Professional services giant KPMG has teamed up with Generation to help train and place young people in jobs they otherwise may not have had access to.

Amid the great resignation, many employers are currently experiencing difficulty recruiting or retaining staff across a multitude of industries. At present, however, few industries seem to be experiencing this pressure like the IT and computing sector. Earlier in the year, a study from KPMG found that, of 10 monitored employment categories, the IT sector saw the strongest increasing in permanent vacancies.

In order to help the industry plug its skills gap, KPMG has announced a new initiative in partnership with youth employability non-profit Generation. The two-year partnership will focus on connecting young talent to life-changing technology careers at KPMG, especially roles working in Cloud technology, and our Cloud Engineers will support trainees to help with the upskilling of digital talent.

Michael Houlihan, CEO of Generation UK, commented, “We’re delighted to launch this partnership with KPMG. Generation firmly believes that all bright young people, regardless of background, should have an equal opportunity to access sustainable careers in the thriving tech industry, and we’re working hard to make that a reality. Our partnership with KPMG is a really important and exciting step, giving the opportunity for lots of young people with an interest in tech to land jobs with one of the UK’s leading employers, with fantastic ongoing training and mentoring. We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of learners in 2022 as they take this first step in their careers.”

At present in the UK tech sector, only 19% of employees are from a working-class background, in contrast to 33.3% of the nationwide population. Meanwhile, 66% of digital leaders in the UK currently finding it difficult to keep pace with change because they lack the talent they need. This provides companies with an obvious opportunity, to support individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds into a career in technology, closing the diversity and digital skills gaps that the sector continues to grapple with.

Commenting on the partnership Lisa Heneghan, Chief Digital Officer of KPMG in the UK, said, “We are committed to improving our diversity and providing unique career opportunities for young people, which is why I am thrilled that we are partnering with Generation. A more diverse and inclusive team means a more innovative team, which is particularly important for the tech sector. Having greater diversity improves problem-solving abilities and has been proven to increase productivity and happiness. It also means our clients benefit from a variety of expertise and ideas, resulting in more successful project results.”

Since its inception in 2019, Generation UK has worked to train young people across the UK with the necessary skills to access life-changing careers against the odds. The group’s Generation methodology combines profession-specific and practice-based training over multi-week bootcamps with ongoing wrap-around mentorship to help support learners overcome barriers. Regarding its KPMG collaboration, the programme is already in progress and is open to all Generation UK’s graduates.