Diversity is the bedrock of innovation
In today’s rapidly evolving tech sector, innovation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Companies that build diverse teams gain a crucial edge in this competitive landscape.
Gartner’s 2024 research reveals that companies with diverse workforces experience a 12% improvement in performance and a 20% higher intent to stay among employees, highlighting the link between diversity and retention, particularly in competitive sectors like tech. Similarly, PwC’s 2024 Global DEI Survey found that investing in diversity and inclusion leads to a 6.8% increase in stock price, with employees who feel undervalued being three times more likely to leave.
Leadership plays a crucial role in this, as PwC’s 2024 CEO Survey notes that 55% of CEOs see diversity as key to maintaining a competitive talent edge. Deloitte’s 2023 report echoes this, emphasising that companies integrating DEI are more agile and resilient, though only 24% of leaders feel prepared to make necessary changes. McKinsey’s latest research adds to the case, showing that companies with diverse executive teams are 36% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability. In comparison, gender-diverse boards yield 27% better financial outcomes.
In tech, where problem-solving and creativity are essential, team diversity enables businesses to approach challenges from different perspectives, increasing resilience and adaptability. For Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), building diverse teams isn’t just a business strategy—it’s a game-changer for driving innovation.

“There are tech companies out there that will only take on university graduates – they’re missing out on such a massive pool of talented people. Everyone can be a developer.” James Atherton, Development Manager at Chubb Fire
Tech skills at your fingertips
A powerful way to cultivate diverse teams is through apprenticeships. Apprenticeships open the door to a broader range of candidates, ensuring that tech roles are accessible to school leavers, university graduates and established employees across all levels of competence looking to upskill or reskill. This builds diverse teams and helps bridge the skills gap in the tech industry.
Apprenticeships in areas like DevOps and Software Engineering provide an entry point for individuals to upskill and gain confidence while offering businesses a way to shape the workforce of tomorrow. At Corndel, we’ve seen how apprenticeships can be transformative: only 47% of our apprentices previously held a degree before joining one of our programmes, yet they’ve played pivotal roles in their organisations.

“Corndel helped us transition to a data-driven approach by empowering employees across the business, each bringing unique insights. It wasn’t just about learning new tools—it was about building a mindset that embraces collaboration and inclusion… Corndel’s apprenticeships helped us not just upskill, but innovate. The diversity of our team allowed us to look at problems from new angles, driving our data strategy forward.” – Mike Durrant, Head of Data Analytics at Hallmark.
Addressing social mobility in the tech sector
Diverse teams don’t just come from traditional education pathways. The UK has one of the lowest levels of social mobility among developed countries, and it has worsened in recent years. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports that social mobility in the UK has been at its worst for 50 years, while the Social Mobility Commission warns that today’s youth face a future where they may be worse off than their parents.
This makes apprenticeships even more critical for addressing social mobility in the tech sector. They offer opportunities for those without the financial means to attend university, providing a hands-on, integrated approach to learning while working. Apprenticeships represent more than a financial commitment—they catalyse individual transformation and are a vital tool for improving social mobility.
Despite this, only 66% of business leaders plan to use apprenticeships in the coming year, even though 85% believe they are an effective way to tackle social mobility. This gap between belief and action reveals a missed opportunity to leverage the Apprenticeship Levy, a valuable, low-to-no-cost tool available to organisations.
Apprenticeships alone won’t fully address social mobility issues, but they are a critical piece of the puzzle. CTOs and tech leaders can champion social mobility and foster a more dynamic workforce by embedding apprenticeships within broader equality, diversity, and inclusion strategies.
Apprenticeships provide hands-on experience and learning opportunities for those who may not have the financial resources or time for traditional education, offering an accessible pathway to career advancement.
For more on how apprenticeships can transform your organisation click below.