Telecomms industry asks students about their career aspirations

Press release issued: 19 July 2022

Calling all data, computer science and engineering students! Research project asks students about their career choices. Addressing the telecoms graduate gap: project asks students about their aspirations.

Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) is working with telecoms industry organisation, TM Forum to find out what the telecommunications industry can do to attract talented graduates with digital skills.

Following interviews with major telecoms employers, researchers now need to talk to computer science, data, network engineering and software development students to help understand their career aspirations. Researchers are interested in talking to graduates from around the world, including from the UK, US, India, Brazil and China.

The results are expected to help inform the development of future graduate programs, and help make entry- level roles attractive to graduates.

Students taking part in the survey will benefit from a chance to join an event with leaders from the telecomms industry to find out more about careers for people with their skills.

BDFI lead researcher Dr Ruzanna Chitchyan said:

“We know that the blend of skills required in telecomms is changing and that recruiting graduates who have digital skills is a priority across the industry. We need to better understand the factors that influence graduate applications, encourage them to join this fast-paced and globally influential industry.”

Vicky Sleight, VP for Human Factor at TM Forum added:

“Digital skills are highly sought after in our sector, and there is a globally-recognised need to improve our industry attractiveness to cutting edge talent. At TM Forum we’re working with universities across the globe to better understand what will encourage students to pursue a career in tech. Over the next 12 months our ambition is to develop a globally recognized programme and graduate qualification designed to support and attract diverse talent into our industry.”

Results from the project will be shared later this year.

Take part in the survey.

Further information

Bristol Digital Futures Institute was launched in 2019 to transform the way digital technology is created for a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable society. The £100m Institute, funded by UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) is pioneering a different approach to digital technology innovation, bringing together social and technological expertise from across the University of Bristol and partners in academia, industry, government and local communities. It will open this year to be the first research hub to open on the University’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
TM Forum is an association of over 850 member companies, which include 10 of the world’s top 10 network and communications providers and stretch across 180 countries. Our members tap into each other’s collective experiences and abilities to collaboratively solve complex industry-wide challenges, deploy new services, and create technology breakthroughs to accelerate change.

We help communications service providers (CSPs) and their suppliers to digitally transform and thrive in the digital era. We do this by providing an open, collaborative environment and practical support which enables CSPs and suppliers to rapidly transform their business operations, IT systems and ecosystems to capitalize on the opportunities presented in a rapidly evolving digital world. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.