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HOW FIDELITY CLOSES THEIR TECH SKILLS GAP WITH CODE FIRST GIRLS
In 2022-2023, Fidelity partnered with Code First Girls to close their tech skills gap. Together, we built a targeted recruitment strategy to attract diverse women applicants and upskill them through our CFGdegree programme. Our CFG members went on to be hired as full-time Cloud Engineers, Data Analysts, Network Engineers and App Developers at Fidelity.
92%
of hires were from underrepresented communities
~£50,000
cost saving compared to alternative recruitment models
The Problem
Having a tech skills gap is expensive
Fidelity faced a tech skills gap in its technology teams, finding traditional recruitment channels inefficient for filling tech roles due to time and investment constraints. Additionally, they lacked diverse applications for their open tech positions.
The Solution
1. Work with a talent solutions partner to close the tech skills gap
Fidelity chose Code First Girls as their talent solutions partner because of our guaranteed pipeline of diverse tech talent. Together we built a strategy that would fill multiple open tech roles in 25 weeks, which included recruitment and training on our CFGdegree. By using an intelligent matching process, we presented Fidelity with a shortlist of diverse talent, covering gender, career switchers, and social mobility for them to choose who to sponsor through education, and ultimately hire.
2. Hiring for the right culture-fit
Using our candidate selection process and guidance, Fidelity conducted strength-based interviews designed to assess the values, capabilities and motivations of their applicants. The move away from traditional technical experience-based interviews enabled Fidelity to avoid hiring bias and interview more diverse candidates.
3. Upskill candidates in specific digital skills
Once candidates were selected, it was time for their education. Combining the CFGdegree with a series of in-person and virtual workshops facilitated by Fidelity team members, Fidelity upskilled their new talent in foundational skills and more advanced technical skills tailored to their hiring needs. With our guidance, Fidelity also provided mentorship and peer support to their candidates to nurture technical skills and a sense of belonging.
The Results
We spoke with Lauren Noakes, Talent Acquisition Manager at Fidelity, to hear more about the results of hiring women with CFG to solve the tech skills gap.
How did Code First Girls help you attract diverse talent?
Our final candidate selection of women that we went on to hire into full-time employment included 92% underrepresented ethnicities, 83% non-computer science as a field of study and 67% as career switchers.
How did Code First Girls help close the tech skills gap in your tech team?
The partnership was particularly successful across Enterprise Technology Services as we were able to hire multiple women into a variety of roles, such as Cloud Engineers, Data Analysts, Network Engineers and App Developers.
What success stands out the most from working with Code First Girls?
We were delighted to have our successful candidates join the industry, particularly in the fields of Cloud and DevOps, where female representation historically lags at just 14%. One hire accepted a DevOps role that had remained unfilled for almost a year, which attests to the success of this programme.
Did you see any cost-effectiveness from using Code First Girls to hire?
Overall, we were presented with a shortlist of candidates which we may not have encountered if we’d only used typical recruitment channels. It was also cost-effective per hire as we were able to hire multiple technologists through one strength-based assessment process that proved efficient compared to multiple individual processes.
Why choose Code First Girls
Companies around the world trust Code First Girls to:
- Attract and upskill diverse candidates to close the tech skills gap in tech teams.
- Provide women opportunities to change careers; boosts employability, diversity, and social mobility; and in turn transforms organisations.
- Bring down barriers and create non-traditional pathways into tech for women.
- Guaranteed to fill open tech roles quickly and cost-effectively.
Why not find out for yourself? Speak to our experts here. 👇
