The new chief executive of the British Computer Society, the chartered institute for the IT industry, will make digital skills a “significant priority” during her tenure.
Speaking exclusively to UKTN, Sharron Gunn, who was recently named the new permanent boss of the Royal Charter-backed group following the departure of Rob Deri, laid out her vision for the role of BCS chief executive in the modern computing industry.
“There’s never a more important time for the government to get behind IT development,” Gunn said.
Having formerly held leadership roles at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Gunn said her former organisation prided itself on the number of its members who sat on FTSE 100 boards, something she cannot yet say for BCS.
“With everything going on with cyber, with AI developments, I think now is the time to have IT sitting around the boardroom,” Gunn said.
Now in charge of the group, founded in 1957, Gunn has made tackling the digital skills gap a prime concern.
“I think we should be incredibly concerned. Without using technology, without using advancements, without skilling up the workforce, we will be lagging behind.”
Numerous reports have revealed the extent of the lack of available digital skills to meet the demands of the growing tech industry.
The rising integration of AI systems into businesses has exacerbated the issue, with AI skills becoming more sought after than ever.
Recent research found AI has become the UK’s largest and fastest developing skills gap in 15 years.
Among BCS’ primary activities is the running of training and certification schemes. Gunn said that while group does a lot already, tackling an issue of this scale will require a more coordinated effort with other stakeholders.
“There are many experts in the field that actually will be much stronger together, working in partnership than we have been individually,” said Gunn.
“The importance of a professional body is having that power to convene and to bring people together in a non-competitive way, and I think that is a role we can play.”
Gunn added that one way in particular she would be keen to improve the availability of skills is by making IT a “much more inclusive profession”.
“I think the biggest priority for me is looking at entry levels into the profession,” she added. “Rather than jumping straight into chartered, which is important to us, we will be looking at apprenticeship skills and students at university, to see how we can help support their careers from day one.
“That is really important to the strategy.”
The post EXCLUSIVE: New BCS chief executive makes digital skills a priority appeared first on UKTN.
