Report
Report
Past, Present, Future: The Tech Talent Pipeline. Summary of Research and Implications for Access to Tech Employment
To ensure The Hg Foundation’s work has the greatest possible impact, it is essential that we understand the talent pipeline entering the sector and the evolving needs of the tech labour market. In 2024, we commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to investigate these topics in the UK. NFER have now produced three reports for the Foundation:
UK tech hiring in transition? The current state of play and where future opportunities might lie.
The Tech Pipeline: Investigating educational pathways into the tech sector in England.
In the summary report available at the bottom of this page, the Foundation brings together the key findings from the three reports and offers reflections on the implications for The Hg Foundation, our partners and the wider tech sector:
Foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data literacy will underpin employability in all sectors.
New models for building experience and work-readiness are needed as entry level jobs change.
Developing essential employability skills, like problem solving, communication and critical thinking, is central to widening access to tech jobs.
More high-quality apprenticeships and vocational routes into tech should be developed.
STEM education remains crucial for the tech pipeline and investing in sustained engagement over major transition points is key.
Advanced academic pathways like Masters and PhDs will continue to be important routes into certain high-impact tech jobs.
More needs to be done to address retention and progression gaps for ethnic minority talents and women.
Support for continuous learning, adaptability and re-skilling will be even more critical as jobs evolve rapidly.
The Foundation plans to continue to invest in research that monitors the tech employment landscape, supporting our partners to align their programmes with genuine employer demand and future workforce needs.
