Four women who had never previously worked in tech are now building software, and shaping business intelligence systems at the guarding company SecuriGroup. That’s due to a partnership with Code First Girls (CFG), a UK providers of free education for women. Glasgow-based SecuriGroup has also seen one recruit promoted into a leadership role within its tech team.
The firm notes that women account for around 29 per cent of the UK’s technology workforce, while in Scotland they represent just 23pc of digital technology roles, despite growth and demand for technology skills. Hence, SecuriGroup’s partnering with Code First Girls (CFG) to help create new pathways into technology careers for women from non-traditional backgrounds; here, from hospitality, finance, insurance and the charity sector. Code First Girls CEO Anna Brailsford MBE visited SecuriGroup’s headquarters.
The partnership’s impact extends beyond those recruited into jobs. Under their Social Value Model, for every woman deployed into employment, more than 10tenwomen are trained through Code First Girls programmes.
George Dunlop, Director of Technology at SecuriGroup, said: “Before working with CFG, we primarily recruited through platforms such as Indeed or via recruitment agencies. Candidate quality could be inconsistent, both in terms of skills and experience, as well as how easily individuals adapted to our culture and ways of working. CFG helped address these challenges by providing motivated, capable candidates who demonstrated both humility and a willingness to learn.”
One of the recruits contributed to a significant technology development within her first six months with the firm, supporting systems used during a major national sporting operation. CFG give ongoing technical coaching.
Jordan Coyle, Lead Frontend Software Developer at SecuriGroup, said: “The CFG hires I manage are hungry for knowledge. It’s been great to see how their experience from non-tech roles filters into SecuriGroup and brings different perspectives to the team. We’ve worked with other talent firms before and the experience has been mixed. The aftercare and ongoing development provided by CFG has been very important.”
Rebecca Stewart is now Lead BI Developer at SecuriGroup.ย She said: “I was looking for a career change and moving into data felt like a natural next step. My role at SecuriGroup has been a steep learning curve, but I’ve learned a lot very quickly, the team is really friendly and approachable, which has made settling in much easier. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned to building a data warehouse and creating more reliable, impactful data solutions.โ
SecuriGroup says it believes the partnership shows the potential in challenging assumptions around recruitment.
George added: “The technical coaching provided by the Code First Girls teams delivers real strategic value return for our organisation. It gave the hires a strong foundation, enabling them to contribute more quickly while continuing to develop towards a more independent and impactful way of working.”
