Skills, Talent and Diversity updates
Sign-up to get the latest updates and opportunities from our Skills, Talent and Diversity programme.
The Future of Talent: Skills-Based Pathways to Empower Young People
As the nature of work evolves, organisations must rethink traditional career pathways to unlock hidden potential within their workforce. The challenge is clear: how do we identify and cultivate talent in ways that are not constrained by outdated hiring models?
In partnership with Leonardo, WithYouWithMe (WYWM) is pioneering a skills-based approach to workforce mobility through the Operations-to-Engineering programme. This initiative is not just about career development—it’s about redefining how businesses discover and nurture talent.
Breaking Barriers to Opportunity
Far too often, hiring and career progression are dictated by formal qualifications and prior experience rather than raw ability and potential. The Operations-to-Engineering programme challenges that paradigm.
By leveraging skills-based assessments, we empower individuals—particularly young employees who might not have had access to further education or qualification opportunities—to step into engineering roles that they may have never previously considered.
WYWM’s aptitude and psychometric testing identifies cognitive strengths, adaptability and problem-solving capacity. These assessments allow companies to look beyond CVs and traditional qualifications and instead focus on the capacity to learn, grow and excel.
A New Model for Career Mobility
The Operations-to-Engineering programme, launched with Leonardo at their Luton site, offers employees in their operational teams the opportunity to transition into year-long secondments in software and firmware engineering. By shifting the focus from past experience to resilience, ambition and mindset, the selection process ensures that high-potential individuals are given the support and resources needed to thrive in digital careers. Those who excel in their secondments have the opportunity to secure permanent roles in Leonardo’s software and firmware engineering teams.
Nerys Thomas, Vice President of Talent Development, Inclusion and Change, explains: “We have made a conscious transition away from determining internal or external candidates by traditional criteria – such as job titles and qualifications – to placing the emphasis on what existing and potential skillsets each person has or could develop.
“Using the WYWM ‘Potential’ platform has enabled us to identify talent within the company and from outside who might have been previously overlooked, because of outmoded recruitment practices.”
The Future of Workforce Development
The Operations-to-Engineering programme represents a fundamental shift in how talent is developed and retained. With the first cohort - all under 30 - already progressing through the programme, Leonardo are demonstrating that skills-first hiring is not just an alternative—it is the future.
WithYouWithMe's vision is to scale this innovative model across different industries and organisations, proving that companies worldwide can build more agile, future-ready workforces by adopting a capability-driven approach to recruitment and talent development.
Through initiatives like the Operations-to-Engineering programme, WYWM and Leonardo are leading the charge in redefining career development, fostering inclusivity and ensuring anyone from any background has the opportunity to thrive in an evolving digital landscape.
To find out more please visit https://withyouwithme.com/
techUK’s TechTogether campaign, taking place throughout March, is a collection of activities highlighting the UK’s technology sector pursuit to shape a more equitable future. In 2025 we are exploring: Inclusive AI, investing in diverse founders and entrepreneurs, the power of allyship and mentorship, and empowering young people.
Upcoming Events
