The first time I noticed it properly was during a conversation with a young man in his final year at the university. He had taught himself to code after lectures. He had built apps that worked. He had freelance clients abroad.
Yet, he could not get an interview for a junior developer role here at home because he did not have a degree from an institution that recruiters in his sector preferred.
He was, by every meaningful measure, more skilled than the graduates I had watched walk into the same roles a year earlier.
He just did not have the pathway.
For most of my career, I accepted the conventional explanation for the skills gap. Like most people working in technology and business transformation, I had heard employers describe a shortage of skilled workers. Organisations could not fill vacancies. Sectors worried about future shortages. The conclusion always seemed obvious: there were not enough skilled people.
