Taking the road less travelled: Why we need to encourage more young people to consider less “traditional” career paths and options

We recently held our first IRI ‘Black Women into Tech’ workshop, organised by Generating Genius. Our aim was to expose young black women to possible career areas once they finish university, focusing on STEM in particular – an area which historically has seen huge under representation from this group.

As I looked through the feedback, I was pleased to learn that the workshop helped to open many of the women’s eyes to a possible career route they may have not considered. It really got me thinking about the start of my own career; and in particular, how easy it is to get caught up in following the crowd. It has always concerned me to think that many young people miss out on the remarkable range of career options now available because of an expectation to follow the more “traditional” path for whatever reason – whether that comes down to age, gender, class or race.?

When I was at school, going to university was the “done thing” and this meant many of my peers didn’t even stop to question it as the next option. For me, however, it was a slightly different story. I did my A-Levels and decided that was enough time in the classroom for me. I also had my daughter (who is now 22 years old and at the start of her career journey herself!) to think about. This all meant that going away to university simply wasn’t viable.

I was lucky, however, to have supportive managers early on in my career who helped me navigate night classes while learning on the job. I think that’s why I feel so passionate now about championing alternative career routes – I’m living proof that you don’t have to take the obvious route to succeed. You do, however, need people in the background to help and support you, and to be provided with the right opportunities to grow and develop.

One of my proudest career achievements to date is kickstarting our apprenticeship scheme at IRI. I still remember recruiting our first apprentice into the business – he’s now been with us for almost five years, is really progressing in his career, and is giving so much back to the company as a result.

Because of my own early experiences, I’m passionate about using our apprenticeship scheme to give young people the tools and experience to start their careers, regardless of background. It's not just about doing the right thing, though – there’s clear business value and it’s also essential to the future of our industry. Not only do we see incredibly bright, eager, and committed young people applying for apprenticeships with IRI, but as a company, we reap huge rewards from fresh, Generation Z minds in our teams.

Of course, apprenticeship schemes are not without their obstacles. I’ve seen first-hand the challenges that come with managing this new generation – they have different motivations, demands and visions of how quickly they want to progress. However, every challenge is an opportunity – and our apprenticeships don't just provide opportunities for new starters, they can also give existing staff the chance to develop their mentoring and leadership skills.

At IRI, our hope is to expand our apprenticeship programme across the business, finding and nurturing new talent and bringing in fresh, exciting new perspectives to help the FMCG data industry grow and evolve. By investing time and attention now into our team's future, not only are we able to create new opportunities but we are helping to expand how we shape big data in the years to come.