As far as we may think we’ve come, it’s difficult to empirically judge just how a big an issue the underutilisation of the Black community in Scottish tech is.  

We still tend to use inelegant data sets that that don’t paint a picture of a culturally diverse Scotland. And even in modern data sets, “I don’t see myself,” says Helene Rodger, CEO of Passion4Fusion and the moderator for the inaugural Scottish Black Talent Summit. 

She went on that to say that the “bundling of ethnicities” is problematic – It is hard to glean real insight amid an earnest push for inclusion in Scottish tech when much of the data about employment in the sector still uses archaic categorisations such as BAME.  

It’s a thought reflected by Fash Fasoro, CEO of social enterprise, DataKirk, who says: “Black talent brings benefit to Scotland and that benefit isn’t being fully realised – many skilled people from Black communities find themselves unemployed, they need help to be seen so they can demonstrate their capabilities – there’s a need to create a holistic strategy, not just a series of ‘tick-box’ exercises.” 

Created through a partnership between DataKirk and Talentpointr, the Scottish Black Talent Summit aimed to offer insight on improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as well as creating pathways to employment. 

In an event where the Scottish Government, frontline services, the private sector, workers, students, and third-sector Scottish data organisations were all represented, the throughline themes of the Scotland’s first Black Talent Summit tapped into the most salient question of the wider discourse – how can we forge more intuitive pathways and links between employers and Black communities within Scotland, and reduce cognitive bias? 

In the first keynote of the day Alastair McAlpine, Chief Statistian at the Scottish Government (a late replacement for an injured Albert King) spoke about harnessing data to benefit the people of Scotland and unleashing the talent of Scotland’s people.  

“There are currently 178,000 – 234,000 data roles to be filled, with half of businesses struggling to recruit for roles that require data skills,” said Mcalpine. He concluded that filling rooms with the same faces with the same lived experience is not addressing this ever-expanding gap, a new approach is needed.  

Black Talent isn’t Hard to Reach 

In his keynote speech, Abel Aboh, Data Management Lead at the Bank of England postulated: “What will Scotland look like in the 21st Century – not just in the data and employment spaces, but as somewhere to live?” 

The future of work has inextricably changed, with Covid forever reshaping the landscape – a point not lost on Abel, who works remotely from West Lothian. 

He said: “Diversity is good for business. If you’re in more diverse team, it naturally engenders innovation by drawing on groups of people with different modes of thinking,” Aboh reinforces the point by referencing a 2020 McKinsey report, Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters.

In that report, McKinsey stated that the case for diversity, equity, and inclusion is stronger than ever. 

But what does diversity mean – in an actionable sense – for both employers and employees? To Aboh, it means taking risks, going out of your comfort zone to embrace new ideas and ways of thinking.  

To this effect, Aboh breaks down some interesting metrics around Scottish Black communities, demonstrating that they are “clustered in key Scottish cities, educated, mobile and agile.” 

He adds: “This community of people are mobile; they will come to you, and they are agile – they’re willing to start small to grow.” 

You will not attract Black talent unless your business can demonstrate a culture of inclusivity, with Aboh saying that “if we can’t see hear or see ourselves – that inclusion and psychological safety and standing, to know this is a place that welcomes aspirational thinking – then people will just leave after a couple of months.” 

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Over the years, Aboh has been talking at length about these issues, so he’s in a good position to say that social justice is very real, so as an employer, you have to take issues like social justice seriously. 

On this, he says: “If you’re an employer, think about your mobility strategy, how are you enabling and on-boarding Black talent to be a part of your operation – you need to allow them to pursue the things that they think matters, help them understand their rights. You don’t have to always understand people’s activism but respect it. Allowing people to be themselves is paramount to nurturing progression.” 

Aboh concludes by reflecting Fasoro’s sentiment that, “when we think about Scottish talent, we have to think about holistically.” 

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