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RECRUIT TRAIN DEPLOY: A FASTER WAY TO RECRUIT DIVERSE TECH TALENT
Hiring in tech has never been more challenging. As demand for digital skills grows, businesses are finding it harder, and more expensive, to secure the talent they need. There is also increasing pressure to build more diverse, agile teams, leaving many organisations rethinking how they attract, develop, and retain their technical workforce.
That’s where Recruit Train Deploy (RTD) comes in. Also referred to as “hire-train-deploy”, this model offers fast recruitment and a more flexible alternative to traditional hiring. It provides companies with immediate access to trained, job-ready talent without the long-term commitment of permanent headcount.
In this blog, we’ll explore how RTD works, why businesses are adopting it, and how it can support both short-term hiring goals and long-term capability building.
How does RTD support tech transformation?
1. RTD proactively addresses the tech skills shortage
RTD creates a direct, on-demand pipeline of trained talent in areas such as software engineering, data analysis, AI, DevOps, and cyber security. Rather than relying on a limited market of job-ready professionals, organisations work with workforce planning partners for fast recruitment from a tailored pipeline of candidates that have already undergone the necessary training.
2. RTD reduces hiring risk and improves retention
With the RTD model, candidates are employed by the supplier rather than the organisation, significantly reducing both risk and administrative burden for businesses. These candidates arrive highly engaged, having made a clear, proactive commitment to reskilling. Supported by ongoing coaching and mentoring, they ramp up quickly, leading to faster time-to-productivity and stronger retention from day one.
3. RTD offers employers flexibility and scalability
Whether you’re hiring for a short-term project or building long-term capability in a critical area, RTD offers the flexibility to meet your needs. The model is designed to scale up or down in line with business demands. This allows you to test new roles before making permanent hires, expand teams in response to project cycles, or mobilise quickly for time-sensitive bids.
What makes RTD with Code First Girls different?
Code First Girls doesn’t just supply job-ready tech talent to business. We’re building the UK’s most inclusive tech talent pipeline by training over 200,000 women in high-demand skills, all through free, industry-backed education. Our programmes are co-designed with leaders like GCHQ, keeping us ahead of the curve and ensuring our candidates are equipped for today’s, and tomorrow’s, tech challenges. And because we continuously re-invest in local communities, our partners can access job-ready talent exactly where and when they need it.
1. Better for employers
Alongside accessing high-potential tech talent, CFG also enables organisations to build their brand and deliver on ESG goals. Our candidates include career switchers, returners and graduates who bring a rich mix of professional experience and age intersectionality. Each individual is carefully matched to your organisation based on values, behaviours, and technical aptitude, ensuring strong cultural and skills alignment. Our reinvestment approach also means we directly support the UK government’s Social Values Framework by promoting equal opportunity and tackling economic inequality.
Our candidates receive continuous 1:1 professional development, individualised learning plans, and KPI support throughout deployment. This means performance is embedded, measured and supported at every stage of the contract. With flexible deployment contracts of 12, 18, or 24 months and the option to convert talent to permanent roles at no extra cost, resourcing is made easier and more cost-effective.
2. Better for candidates
With CFG, our candidates choose their deployment organisation based on their technical interests, behavioural strengths, and personal motivations. This leads to stronger matches, higher engagement, and improved retention. By training and deploying talent within local communities, we also help individuals maintain vital family and social support networks. These connections are particularly important for career switchers, returners, and those with caregiving responsibilities.
Our candidates have access to our fair salary and progression initiative which opens up milestone bonuses and progression opportunities to recognise commitment. Unlike many other models, our candidates are never subject to punitive exit fees or additional contractual clauses that lock them to detrimental terms.
Additionally, with membership to the CFG community, candidates are also supported with a network of women – from mentors to role models and – who are able to guide candidates through their journey.
Social Values Framework
Code First Girls helps companies strengthen their bids by directly aligning with the UK Social Value Framework and supporting key priorities around equality, economic inclusion, and community impact. Our work delivers measurable social value across multiple scoring criteria, making us a trusted strategic partner in public sector procurement.
Why Partner with Code First Girls?
When you work with CFG, you’re not just enabling fast recruitment, you’re improving the gender gap in tech and gaining access to a new, more diverse tech talent pipeline. Our RTD model helps you:
- Access a motivated, diverse pool of trained tech talent
- Reduce time-to-productivity and improve retention
- Build teams that reflect your values and support your long-term goals
- Contribute to closing the gender gap in tech and driving real change
By focusing on potential, providing targeted training, and enabling fast recruitment, this model effectively bridges the gap between education and employment. The result is a win-win approach that delivers value to both individuals and employers.
And it’s not just immediate hires CFG can support with either. As a complete workforce transformation partner, we can also provide permanent hiring and employee upskilling solutions. With digital skills evolving at pace, having a single partner to support your transformation goals enables agility, drives down recruitment costs, and helps you build the workforce of the future.
GET IN TOUCH WITH CODE FIRST GIRLS
Get in touch with Code First Girls to learn more about how to access a diverse talent pipeline and create a future-ready workforce.
