Capita joins WithYouWithMe to help veterans fill UK digital skills gap
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Capita has joined forces with WithYouWithMe by taking an equity stake through Capita Scaling Partner, its start-up development arm.
Together they have launched ‘15,000 Futures’, an initiative to support former members of the UK armed forces and their partners to find employment in the technology and digital sectors after leaving the military.
The 15,000 Futures campaign – which reflects the number of UK military (and their partners) who return to civilian life each year – works with major UK employers to encourage them to commit to fulfilling five per cent of available digital roles with reskilled veterans.
The initiative builds on the work of WithYouWithMe, which was founded in Sydney, Australia, in 2015 by three university friends, two of whom served in the military.
The firm partners with government agencies and businesses to address the digital skills shortage, while making a positive social impact. It has so far helped 20,000 people – including refugees and neurodivergent individuals, as well as military veterans – gain employment.
Eschewing more traditional recruitment practices such a reviewing CVs of job applicants, WithYouWithMe – through its “Potential platform” – provides aptitude and psychometric testing to match candidates to a range of high-demand digital roles.
The firm then provides free training pathways – accredited through the likes of GCHQ and ANSI – to give candidates the optimum chance of success when placed with large employers.
WithYouWithMe’s team of UK advisers include former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Sir James Everard, and Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Pope, the British Army’s former Chief of Staff.
Capita Scaling Partner’s unique model involves providing business development services through the placement of two to three full-time employees in a business – in this case, WithYouWithMe – in exchange for equity.
Jon Lewis, chief executive officer at Capita, said: “Competition for talent – in particular digital talent – is a strategically important issue for Capita and our public and private sector clients.
“WithYouWithMe is helping to solve this issue by fostering new pools of talent from diverse and underemployed communities, particularly military veterans, and in doing so creating significant social value. This fits perfectly with our ethos at Capita.
“We are proud to be a founding member of the 15,000 Future campaign and look forward to working with other leading businesses to make it a success.”
Tom Moore, founder and CEO of WithYouWithMe and military veteran, said: “We know there is a huge demand for digital skills, which are lying dormant in underrepresented areas of society, who may not get meaningful employment based on their CV alone.
“Through our partnership with Capita and the 15,000 Futures campaign, we will help exceptional people access the labour market and enable employers to build a workforce that meets their current and future needs.”
Babou Jobe, an army veteran who found work through WithYouWithMe, said: “I feel valued in my role because WithYouWithMe were able to understand what skills someone like me can still bring to an organisation.
“Not only did WithYouWithMe appreciate the future potential my army training and skillset had given me, and help me find a meaningful job as a result. But they are also continuing to encourage me to develop personally and provide the resources to widen my skillset and take my qualifications to another level.”
