BAE SYSTEMS DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE
SECURING THE FUTURE OF UK TECH TALENT
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence partnered with Code First Girls to attract and retain diverse cybersecurity developers.
KEY SUCCESS OUTCOMES
- Educated and hired diverse women coders, including those from a non-technical background, neurodiverse candidates and career switchers.
- Matched candidates with suitable technical skills and long-term interest in BAE Systems Digital Intelligence into full-time roles across Software Development, DevOps and Infrastructure.
- Partnered with Code First Girls for a second year in a row to build a consistent and robust talent pipeline through introductory python classes and a CFGdegree in full-stack.
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BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
Digital Intelligence is part of BAE Systems and has a rich heritage in helping to defend nations and businesses around the world from advanced threats, and is home to over 4,500 digital, cyber and intelligence experts. The company works collaboratively across 16 countries to collect, connect and understand complex data, so that governments, nation states, armed forces and commercial businesses can unlock digital advantage in the most demanding environments.
WHAT WERE THE KEY TALENT CHALLENGES THAT DROVE BAE SYSTEMS DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE TO PARTNER WITH CODE FIRST GIRLS?
We spoke with BAE Systems Digital Intelligence to find out what talent challenges they were experiencing before partnering with Code First Girls.
- Attracting people who have the correct balance of knowledge, experience and pragmatism.
- Retaining people within space and defence roles by empowering employees with career growth opportunities.
- Improving diversity by having more than 30% of the UK workforce as women by 2030.
HOW CODE FIRST GIRLS HELPED BAE SYSTEMS DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE BUILD THEIR TECH TALENT PIPELINE:
Theresa Palmer, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, explained three key reasons why BAE Systems Digital Intelligence pivoted from other methods of recruitment to using Code First Girls.
BUILDING ROBUST DEFENCES IN CYBER
“Code First Girls’ talent pool provided BAE Systems Digital Intelligence with access to a unique mix of diverse women coders, including, but certainly not limited to non-technical team members, neurodiverse candidates and the under-acknowledged career-switchers who are guaranteed to bring a breadth of experience and a range of perspectives that ultimately contribute towards a more diverse way of problem-solving which all organisations today are looking to achieve.”
How did we help?
Crucial to protecting national security is building robust defences in cybersecurity, which can only be achieved through diversity of thought. By tapping into our unique talent pool of intersectional tech talent across gender, ethnicity, social mobility and neurodiversity, organisations like BAE Systems Digital Intelligence can bring about innovative problem-solving approaches to today’s dynamic landscape of cybersecurity.
FUELING LONG-TERM CAREER GROWTH
How did we help?
At Code First Girls, we help our partners showcase the exciting, long-term career growth available to the next generation of coders by #REPRESENTING the women role models at our partner organisations. Our work in spotlighting tech role models will ensure continued growth in the space, defence and security industry, which requires over 100,000 new skilled workers in space and over 400,000 new skilled workers in defence by 2030.
DIVERSE CANDIDATES WITH SECURITY CLEARANCE
“Code First Girls offers us the ability to take practical, expert-guided, steps to create interest and more importantly, offer real opportunities for all women to explore careers in this exciting industry we work in.”
How did we help?
Not only do Code First Girls provide candidates with the best technical aptitude for roles, but we also include an extra layer in our recruitment process. We can intelligently sift and match applicants against security clearance protocols, ensuring our talent is best placed to protect our nation.
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WHAT SUCCESS HAS BAE SYSTEMS DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE SEEN SINCE PARTNERING WITH CODE FIRST GIRLS?
We spoke with Jem Brown, UK NS Engineering Lead, to hear more about how we impacted the BAE Systems Digital Intelligence teams’ experience of hiring a diverse workforce.”
1. CONSISTENT PIPELINE OF DIVERSE TALENT
“In 2022 we were excited to become a partner employer of Code First Girls and employ mutiple full-time CFG graduates from the CFGdegree full-stack course. Our new joiners have technical aptitude and enthusiasm in abundance and come from diverse backgrounds and with varied experiences of working outside the tech sector.”
How did we help?
Following the success of the 2022 cohort, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence have partnered with Code First Girls for a second year in a row to continue hiring multiple women coders to help achieve the business goal of having more than 30% of the UK workforce as women by 2030.
2. ATTRACTING THE RIGHT TALENT FOR BAE SYSTEMS DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE
How did we help?
At Code First Girls, not only did we consider security and regional requirements, but we also asked candidates their reasons for wanting to join BAE Systems Digital Intelligence and reviewed live video interviews hearing about their passion for tech careers. Through this process of combining our data with interview answers we are able to source women who are incentivised and empowered by long-term opportunities for growth at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.
Some of our favourite answers from this process included one applicant who commented that “what really made me want to work for their company was my role model, Sophie Harker” whilst another applicant said it was “programmes like their Futures teams and their Using Tech for Good programme” which captured their interest.
3. MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITH DIVERSITY
How did we help?
Security clearance means we can’t mention any specifics on what our graduates are up to at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence… but we can confidently confirm that they’re driving innovation and tackling key areas of the business! Our placed candidates are already making a difference with their diversity in thought, technical aptitude and ability to approach cybersecurity needs with out-of-the-box ideas.
WHY CHOOSE CODE FIRST GIRLS?
Companies around the world trust Code First Girls to:
- Build intersectionality into tech teams to drive innovation, better decision-making and performance.
- Intelligently match candidates to tech roles, even with robust security requirements.
- Receive expert guidance on how to attract, and more importantly retain and promote top women tech talent.
- Fuel longer-term growth aspirations by showcasing tech role models inside your business to our community and candidates.
Why not find out for yourself? Speak to our experts here.👇
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