IT wants a future!

10/01/2023

But is it doing enough to achieve this? Is there still room for improvement? We take a look, focusing on the north in general and the Hanover region in particular.

Because that is an important question if you want to be well positioned for the future. And that is what we want to be: here in the north, in Hanover, throughout Germany.

The challenge

The occasion: a conference in the Hanover region on the topic. With experts from politics, administration, schools, and many guests from Lower Saxony, company representatives, and DRIVE. We are all looking for the skilled workers of tomorrow. We need IT developers everywhere: in Germany, in the north, in Hanover. And we've been looking for quite some time. There are many tasks and jobs in IT, but not enough people to develop the solutions. And above all, not enough new ones are coming in. We urgently need young talent: more, good, motivated young people. But schools are not delivering enough. The conference aims to show ways forward.

There is a shortage of young talent in IT

This problem is not new. It has been known for many years, and it became apparent early on that there would be a shortage of young talent not only in IT, but also in other STEM professions. Demand is growing, and the number of trainees in IT is not keeping pace. Good, well-paid jobs for developers are moving abroad to developers in India, Pakistan, China, Egypt, Romania, and Kosovo. One colleague gave an example: 200 to 300 developers apply for a job offer there, with very attractive terms and conditions. The job offers excellent prospects and security, so it should also be extremely attractive to young people here. Actually.

What are politicians and administrators doing here in the north?

The region offers “IT macht Schule” (IT goes to school). This is a commendable initiative with committed people who aim to arrange internships between school students and companies. That's good, but it's not nearly enough. Internships give young people an insight into career opportunities and can open up new prospects. But the time is far too short and the conversion rate from internship to training is close to zero, which is far too low. On the other hand, companies incur considerable expenses to train interns and at least begin to compensate for what they have not been taught sufficiently in the past: mathematics, IT knowledge, media training, design, communication skills, and much more. Nevertheless, this is a start, and DRIVE supports the project. Because otherwise? There isn't much. At least not in our experience.

What are companies such as DRIVE doing?

We are a training company

IT specialist for application development
IT specialist for system integration
Media designer for digital and print
Marketing communications specialist

Our trainees have very, very good prospects after successfully completing their time with us. All training programs are at least equivalent to the respective college, technical college, or university courses, at least from a technical point of view. And professionally, our graduates always have a better, faster start because of the comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge they have acquired by then. We are very proud of our trainees and delighted with their progress! But it should not be underestimated: training means a lot of work. It involves laying important foundations for young people and often also compensating for and making up for deficits in their schooling.

A turnaround is needed to secure the future of IT!

For as well-intentioned as the few measures taken in recent years may be, they alone cannot begin to make up for all the failures that have led to a shortage of young talent, particularly in the IT sector. So what can be done? Fish usually stink from the head down. That means you usually have to start at the top, at the very front, to get good results at the back. The same applies here.

Because it works elsewhere

An example from abroad: the Sophia Antipolis science region in southern France – a magnet for young people and talent from all over the world who want to make a name for themselves in the natural sciences, engineering or medicine. And for companies, institutions and organisations that want to work with these young people. What are they doing differently there? They are creating something good and communicating positively about it. They talk about the events, people, and experiences everywhere. Even at the airport, on the streets, and all the way there, they attract visitors' attention in an appealing and friendly way.

What are we doing about this in Hanover? We claim and tell all visitors who arrive here that we are “the trade fair city.” Even though, for example, the once great leading trade fair CeBIT was killed off by us many years ago (and other IT trade fairs have at least been doing well since then, see, for example, here).

The north must become an IT and technology hub. The best there is.

If we want things to change, we have to do something, and we have to do it differently, with different goals and different guiding principles. Bigger, better, more impressive. We have to take a different approach. The conditions are there: we have an excellent scientific and university infrastructure, but the world is not sufficiently aware of it. We have good IT companies in the region, and they should be better known, including in politics and administration.

New mission statement. New story.

The mission statement must be bigger, better, and much, much bolder. The north must become an IT and technology hub. And not just any hub, but the best. We need to tell positive stories overall, with positive role models in the world of IT. Good people and their stories are important, and we need to showcase them. We don't just need good intentions, we need results and proof. And we need to communicate what we already have much better and more clearly. How many people here in the region alone know how well equipped we are with opportunities for IT and STEM, and therefore for the future? Probably far too few. And why? Because we don't talk about it, and when we do, we don't talk about it loudly or clearly enough. This means that we IT companies also have a responsibility. At DRIVE, for example, we are out there in the world, working internationally and globally with developers for clients from other countries, cultures, and continents. If we don't promote our location, who will?

The arguments for the Hannover region

We offer one of the best science locations in Germany, Hannover together with Braunschweig and, of course, Göttingen. Scientists who are among the world's elite research and teach here. One of many examples: The Institute for Continuum Mechanics at Leibniz University Hannover is fantastic, but too few people know about it.
Many companies with a high level of IT expertise and innovative strength are based here, which are developing very advanced products and, at the very least, bring a great deal of innovative drive to the table. Politicians, administrators, and schools should give them much more attention and support.
Hannover is a great place to live. The living conditions here are excellent. The people are friendly, internationally oriented, and open-minded (not least because of their experience as a former major trade fair city and now a place of international exchange). It is green, flat, and you can quickly reach the sea, mountains, and many attractive places. We have pretty baroque gardens, forests, lakes, and parks right in the middle of the city.

Good conditions for attracting companies to settle here and: TRAIN! Now we just need to communicate and present this well, and politicians and administrators need to improve their communication skills.

Our target group is nerds

We talk about IT training with young people, many of whom are real nerds. In the best and most positive sense. They are different: they feel, think, and act differently. And they like topics that have to do with IT in the broadest sense; they feel drawn to them. But many of them are not recognized for their differences. And this is usually not the case in school, and that needs to change not just “soon,” but now, immediately, and urgently. As a company, we are already reaching out to them. Is the school system doing enough?

IT mentoring for students

At DRIVE, we are able to communicate well with them, and I am sure that this is also the case in the many companies run by our colleagues with a similar focus. We need these young people; we want them to join us, we want to train and educate them, and we want to encourage and challenge them in their uniqueness. With us, they can feel comfortable and accepted. It would be much better if we could see them not just for a week or two, but work with them on a long-term basis, for example one day or afternoon a week starting in 11th grade. They would have a permanent place, could participate in projects, and thus gradually grow and develop well. We could be their mentors, if they want, and look out for them. To make this happen, schools and administrators would have to create the right conditions for them and for us.

Positive role models

We need heroes, and we have them. We need to tell their stories and make them visible. Politicians and administrators need to pick up the ball and run with it.

The north can be different! Namely, better.

And that's what we should do now. Because our competition abroad isn't sleeping. And if we here in the north don't all want to become residents of charming “museum villages,” something needs to change urgently.