2022 - A year in review

At the beginning of the financial year, the ITP sadly lost our former CEO, Crissi Williams. The ITP has had a difficult year, but the outpouring of support from our members, partners, clients, and apprentices has been indescribable and we'd like to thank you all so much.

In 2022, I was appointed as CEO of the ITP. My focus as CEO so far has been on diversifying the digital workforce, advocating career development through apprenticeships and membership and serving as a voice in the industry. It’s thanks to the support and guidance gained from working closely with Crissi over the past few years at the ITP that I was ready for this challenge.

This year, we brought back our popular insight visits and in-person seminars, which were well received by our members. We will continue to hold these events, and with a number of technical seminars already scheduled for 2023.

We have been busy meeting with organisations and individuals across the industry spreading the ITP word. We’ve featured on panel discussions, webinars and appeared in all the major IT and telecoms press delivering the message that our sector is open to everyone. We’ve created eBooks and video guidance for employers to encourage them to hire apprentices. We’ve matched mentors with new recruits, and recognised those in our industry at our annual ITP Awards. We’ve worked closely with our corporate associates who support our work, whilst making a contribution to their Corporate Social Responsibility objectives by enhancing the careers of members and the reputation of telecommunications as a whole.

The ITP apprenticeship scheme has grown at an incredible rate and we are delighted to have now helped train over 500 apprentices in the telecoms industry! This year, we also announced our partnership with The Education and Skills Partnership, which allows us to now offer an end-to-end apprenticeship solution for the industry to address the ever-growing digital skills gap.

Our objectives over the next year are to continue to focus on bridging the skills gap through apprenticeships and supporting our members in furthering their careers. The digital skills gap is a major priority for us; the tech sector is growing nearly three times faster than the rest of the UK economy, and skilled talent is more in demand than ever. We will also continue to support our members' professional development through membership coaching sessions, technical seminars, iconic behind-the-scenes insight visits, mentoring, career guidance and support, our journal, and online self-learning guides and videos available on the ITP website's CPD section.

The ITP is evolving, and I am honoured to have been appointed CEO at a time when our services are more needed than ever. I look forward to our continued work supporting the telecoms industry.