Adam Philpott, EMEA President at McAfee: “To tackle the skills gap, organisations need to encourage a “top-of-the-funnel” intervention and investment from government organisations. We must also collaborate across the industry to create concrete measures focused on closing the gap.

“One example of this is bringing talent in further down the line, by up-skilling employees internally or running returnship programmes for those looking for a career change. We must ensure, however, that we have more talent available in the first place. This is why we should encourage those interested in IT or cybersecurity as early as possible and provide a school pathway into the industry.

“Another way to bring skills into the industry is by targeting talent outside IT and security. This promotes greater diversity and fosters an environment of innovation, where employees are encouraged to think differently.

“As we enter the new normal and roles change, we expect that the talent gap will continue to widen. Technology will, however, continue to be at the vanguard of social and economic evolution, and will remain essential to the UK’s role in the global market. The industry has fulfilling careers to offer, and if we work together, we can ensure we’re doing everything in our power to close the gap and brighten the future of our industry.”

Phil Sorsky, SVP, Service Providers for EMEA at CommScope: “The falling number of students taking IT subjects at GCSE is a stark reminder that more needs to be done to engage young people around technology in order to tackle the widening tech skills gap. The good news is that technology is improving, and IT developments are now helping organisations to overcome skills shortages.

“In the telecoms sector, new technologies are making it possible to improve the speed and cost of fibre network deployments across the UK while tackling the widening skills gap. For example, arming field technicians and engineers with better data on designing a network can reduce time-consuming decision making and human error.

“It is also important for providers to create easy-to-digest materials that aid networks when rolling out new connections, such as fibre, in densely populated areas. We’re seeing the likes of new planning tools emerge that can help engineers quickly identify the best network design topology for any project, walk them through the various network design aspects that need to be considered, and explain the available options and the pros and cons of each.

“Ensuring all areas of our country have Superfast Broadband must be a priority, as we look ahead to a future ever more reliant on connectivity – and closing the skills gap will play a crucial role.”