A recent panel discussion at a TD SYNNEX partner event brought out some interesting ideas about how to deal with the IT skills gap. For this, the first of a three-part series, we spoke to Helena Scott, HR business partner at TD SYNNEX, about why channel companies may need to start taking a different approach to recruitment
The skills shortage is having an effect on every channel company – from the largest vendor to the smallest partner. During a recent panel debate that TD SYNNEX ran as part of a partner-focused event, it was the subject that got everyone listening, Helena Scott, HR business partner at TD SYNNEX, told us ‘The skills shortage is something that really gets people animated and talking at the moment. We all know this is a problem right now, but perhaps it's even bigger than we realise.’
Some key themes and points of interest emerged at the event. ‘There was a real appetite to explore more – around cross-partner working and collaboration, with apprenticeship and wider development programmes, how we recruit people, and one of the major takeaways from that was that we've got to think differently.
Redefining talent
‘We have a tendency to look for technical competence and if that’s not available, you've got a skills gap. But actually, how do we define skills?’ The suggestion here is that we should not be quite as rigid in the skills we are seeking – and maybe the focus should not be mainly on technical ability, she said.
If they are willing to learn and are given the opportunity, there is no reason why they can’t attain technical skills
‘There's a difference between the sorts of natural abilities that people might have and the stuff you can train. You can teach people about technology. But natural skills – such as whether somebody is a natural salesperson or a natural people person, or has a real drive, enthusiasm and self-motivation – you can’t teach as easily.’
Seeking out individuals with these ‘softer skills’ might be a better way of finding the right people to grow your business, she suggested. A couple of examples came up during the debate. ‘One of the panellists told us about somebody they had employed who came from Iceland [that’s the UK supermarket, rather than the Nordic country] after impressing a sales manager. Another had recruited someone that they’d met in a Starbucks. If someone can be personable, think on the job, and give great customer service when they are making and serving coffee, maybe they can do the same in IT – and if they are willing to learn and are given the opportunity, there is no reason why they can’t attain technical skills.
Transferable skills
If we can't get candidates who have the skills that we need off the shelf, we have to do something differently’, said Helena Scott. ‘We have to look at transferable skills. They may have no IT experience, but they may have the right attributes and the right approach to customer service. If they've worked with people – in retail or in hospitality say – and shown they can build relationships, they should be able to do that in our industry as well.’
Cisco had reported a 92% retention rate with an average stay-on period of eight years for apprentices, compared to just over four for graduate recruits
While thinking differently about recruitment is one way to address the skills gap, it’s not going to solve the longer-term challenge and it’s in this area that we may need to see more industry collaboration in areas such as apprenticeships and skills development.
‘For partners, the issue with apprenticeships and training is having the bandwidth to provide training and there was some discussion [during the panel] about whether vendors and TD SYNNEX could do something to support the smaller partners and use some of our levy [funding from the government paid to support apprenticeship schemes] to provide some spaces for smaller partners, who would then provide some of the mentorship, coaching, and support.’
Cisco is already running a scheme under which partners can put their apprentices into the company for three to six months. The apprentices can remain part of the Cisco apprentice community thereafter. Anecdotally, Helena Scott said that Cisco had reported a 92% retention rate with an average stay-on period of eight years for apprentices, compared to just over four for graduate recruits.
Better education
Of course, it will help if young people have the idea that the IT industry could be a good career choice. The whole industry probably needs to do more in terms of actively engaging in the careers options education – and partners can get involved in that, said Helena Scott.
Try and encourage people into the industry by choice rather than necessarily something they might fall into
‘There is no reason why we can’t start building relationships with local colleges, universities and going into those places, going to open days and explaining what career options there are. To try and encourage people into the industry by choice rather than necessarily something they might fall into.’
Where a partner needs a more immediate solution, it may be that TD SYNNEX can help to fill the gaps with its professional services team or put partners in contact with other businesses that have complementary skills. There have already been some notable successes here – the partnership between education market expert AdEPT and specialist Dynamics 365 Business Central partner, Bam Boom Cloud, for example – and you can view the video below. TD SYNNEX also has industry ecosystems programmes running for key sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and distribution.
Nurturing & developing
But as we said at the start, and Helena Scott reiterates, there is no silver bullet. ‘It takes time and investment. It takes some form of resource. It's not always about throwing money at the problem, but it does take time. We need to plan. It's not a quick fix, but you’ve got to start somewhere.’
People might have skills that they're not using in their work today, but which they could build and develop
The one final key point that came out of the panel discussions, is the criticality of looking after talented people once you have attracted them to the business. ‘You need to nurture your talent – and you need to nurture potential. In exit interviews recently, people will often say they were not actively looking [to move], but they were approached. If you want to avoid getting into a bidding war, when you find good people, you need to retain and develop them.’
Thinking about their future potential is important too, she stressed. ‘In my experience, once organisations have hired a good person, they often only see them in terms of the job they hired them for. They can overlook the rest of the person, as people might have skills that they're not using in their work today, but which they could build and develop. When we talk about nurturing talent, I think this is something that needs to be remembered.’
Read the second part of this series here
Read more of our latest stories
