For years, there has been a concerted effort to motivate young individuals to venture into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related careers. Telecommunications, despite its vital role in our day-to-day lives, seldom catches the eye of the younger generation. When highlighted that the telecommunications sector is one of UK’s top-paying industries, ears incline rapidly.
There exists an urgent need to bring new blood into this industry, a need which is emphasized by a survey suggesting that over 60 percent of telecom engineers are over the age of 50. This is indeed a concern taking into account the current dependency on the internet and steady connectivity among the younger population. It is through the tireless effort of the telecom sector that we enjoy our favourite Netflix shows, make Facetime calls and shop online.
Telecommunications is a vibrant and agile industry that grows at an astounding pace. Groundbreaking strides in both mobile and fixed connectivity continue in the UK, spawning new applications that can be seen all around us. A study by Manpower found that a stunning 42 percent of telecom businesses were acutely feeling a digital or IT skills shortage in the external labour market. The underlying need here couldn’t be more apparent, we need the talent, and we need it immediatelly.
Bear in mind that it’s not a pre-requisite for one to be a tech guru to establish a career within telecoms. The sector offers a myriad of potential roles both office-based or out in the field. Your career path might take you of being a design engineer taking care of television and internet coverage for sports events, a health sector telecom leader enhancing care through connectivity or even a satellite engineer planning and designing telecom infrastructure beyond our skies. Supporting roles in the sector align with product development, sales, marketing, HR and finance.
Take for example Emma Philpott, our head of mobile, who did not have any initial intent to make a career in telecom or digital connectivity. After studying oceanography and chemistry, she landed a graduate job with an engineering consultancy and later joined their digital communications team. The projects she has undertaken have given her opportunities to travel globally, from Abu Dhabi to Antarctica. She continues to find new learnings in this captivating sector.
A squad from FarrPoint, a company that I founded, headed to Orkney as part of their mission to inspire more youngsters into telecoms. As part of the Orkney International Science Festival, they facilitated two ‘Connectivity and the Internet of Things’ workshops for youngsters at Kirkwall Grammar School. This is particularly important in remote locations such as Orkney where finding telecom skilled individuals can be challenging.
FarrPoint designed these workshops to showcase how fun and engaging telecom can be. Here, students could explore connectivity, check mobile signal strengths, test IoT solutions and map 4G signal using FarrPoint’s mobile mapping tool.
Today, the challenge lies in identifying and cultivating this technological interest among young individuals and informing them of numerous career prospects within our industry. The persistent skills gap needs to be addressed actively. Companies need to directly communicate with young people about the myriad of potential and benefits offered by the telecom sector.
Organisations facing recruitment challenges should introspect on their efforts to raise awareness on the need for new talent. Moreover, they should evaluate if they could do more to advertise the robust benefits offered by our sector to young individuals.
The vital role telecoms plays in our lives, great compensation, job prospects, and the satisfaction of making a real difference present us with a compelling message. Let’s ensure it reaches all ears. For more information about a career in telecommunication, you can visit FarrPoint’s website.
