JOBS & CAREERS SPRING 2018 - 283

50% higher than in any other European
country - and delivered a whopping
£97 billion to the UK economy.
Despite what the newspaper headlines
say, this doesn't mean machines
are taking over our jobs. In fact,
technology provides us with more career
opportunities than ever before. More
than 1.5 million people now work in
the digital sector - and it has a rate of
growth twice that of other industries.

Talent search

But despite this staggering number,
demand for skilled industry workers is
still soaring. "In our business we're seeing
triple-digit growth year on year, which
means we're constantly on the lookout for
the best talent," says Nick Smith, CEO of
cloud automation company Certain Six.
As a result of Brexit, the challenge of
finding skilled staff will continue to grow.
Subsequently, tech industry leaders are
looking at new ways to fill these vacancies.
"One avenue we're exploring is working
with a number of universities to spot and
nurture graduate talent," says Smith.
And how do you then draw the top
talent to your business? Attractive pay
packets. "As demand for skilled individuals
grow, salaries in this industry have
become some of the most competitive
around," adds Smith. Digital earnings are

44% higher than the average job, with
the average salary advertised £51,000.
Tech graduates can expect starting
salaries of £30,000, while computer
scientists are now the highest-earning
university leavers in the country, with
some landing first jobs paying more than
£40,000, according to the Sunday Times'
league table of graduate salaries. These
wages are justified when you consider
that each tech worker contributes over
£100,000 per year to the UK economy
- double the national average.
Interested? Here are a few roles
you might like to consider.

Aerospace engineer
This role includes research, development,
building and maintaining aircraft
and their systems. Day-to-day duties
could include developing navigation,
communications or weapons systems,
researching ways to make fuel-efficient
parts, testing prototypes and collecting
and analysing test data. You can choose

2 8 2 /// J O B S & C A R E E R S

Software programmer
Working with a team, you'll develop code
for web, mobile or desktop applications,
using a wide variety of computer
programming languages and project
management tools to achieve your goals.
What qualifications do I need?
Most companies require a software

The average salary in the digital sector
is 44% higher than average, at £51,000

Women in tech
The technology industry
may be one of the most
forward-thinking when it
comes to its products and
services, but when it comes
to employees it's still in
need of some updating. Men
still outnumber women by
three to one within the tech
sector, and in 2016 only 9%
of investment in British tech
start-ups went to companies
with a female founder.
Under-representation
is an issue, particularly
in areas such as financial
technology (fintech).
The problem only gets

to specialise in a particular field, such as
aerodynamics or fuel efficiency, or move
up to consultant aerospace engineer.
What qualifications do I need? You'll
need a higher-education qualification in
either aerospace engineering, avionics
or related subjects, such as electrical
or mechanical engineering, maths
and physics. You'll also need excellent
mathematical, problem-solving and IT
skills - including knowledge of computer
aided design (CAD) or manufacturing
(CAM). Some experience of project
management and budgeting are desired.
How much can I earn? Salary starts
at £25,000, rising to £70,000.

worse the higher up you
go - just 17% of senior
executives in fintech are
women. "I couldn't count
the number of times when
I was the only woman
in the room," says Marta
Krupinska, co-founder
of payments app Azimo.
"Worst of all, I've been the
only woman speaking at
high-profile events - and
these are such a great
opportunity to create and
inspire role models."
When trying to fill
vacancies in an everexpanding industry,

maintaining a gender
balance can be complicated,
especially when there is a
shortage of skilled female
workers in the sector.
So what can be done?
"We need to address
the numbers - the science,
technology, engineering

and mathematics [STEM]
skills gap - and encourage
more fintech and financial
companies to invest
time in supporting and
promoting female talent,"
says Charlotte Crosswell,
CEO of fintech industry
group Innovate Finance.
Krupinska agrees. "We
need to work hard to
encourage more girls to
study STEM subjects, to
encourage more women
into fintech, to promote the
juniors to become seniors,
and to support our female
leaders to be seen and heard
on prominent international
forums, representing their
companies," she says.



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