Kyle Collins' journey from exclusion to award-winning rising star
'There weren't many people who looked like me'
Technology touches every area of modern business, but it still doesn’t represent every person.
When Kyle Collins first considered a career in technology, he turned to LinkedIn.
"Studying it showed there weren't many people who looked like me," he says, "and I found that black people only make about 3% of the tech industry."
To Kyle, who is both black and from a working-class background, tech was something "linked to people with more opportunities and wealth... It was just something I was interested in, but never thought I could reach."
Instead, he decided to focus on a more traditional business education, but soon realised that the two areas were inextricably linked.
"In this day and age, [tech and business] have kind of collided to be the future. Most of our business needs and solutions that we'll be creating will have to utilise technology...to ensure a company and a solution is at the forefront and is competitive."
Still, getting started in the industry wasn't easy.
"It was difficult for me to get into university, as there are limited pathways to enter. When I applied, the UCAS system wouldn't allow me to validate my Foundation Certificate as it wasn't an A-level, IB [International Baccalaureate], etc."
Kyle was thus registered on the UCAS system with 0 points, and unable to apply to universities. Instead, he "had to be creative" and contact them directly, finding success with the University of York.
Speaking from experience, he says that universities "could do more to remove barriers of entry, to allow a more diverse talent pool."
Doing so could pay dividends, with some of the UK's top CIOs hailing from working class backgrounds.
Securing IBM
Success in the UK is, unfortunately, not as merit-based as it should be; but drive, effort and passion are still important.
Pro bono work to gain experience in his first year of university helped Kyle secure a placement year at IBM, which he has just finished, in his second.
He was the first intern to ever join his department, which he describes as a challenge - "not just for me, but particularly for the people around me, not usually having to work with an intern - someone who's not used to all the terms we use and some of the solutions."
The first couple of months were "mainly upskilling, minute-taking and shadowing, really trying to learn from other people," but soon Kyle was managing his first project: leading Team IBM at the Adobe Sustainability Games UK (finishing in the top three out of 30 competitors). Shortly after that he took on "probably one of the most core projects of my internship," working with senior stakeholders inside and outside the business - which contributed to IBM iX winning Adobe's Digital Experience Partner of the Year Award UK & EMEA this March.
Diversity and burnout
At the same time as he was running the core project, Kyle got involved in D&I initiatives. He took a lead on IBM UK's Black History Month agenda and EP Black Campaign, running allyship events and working with the HR and recruitment teams to help attract more Gen Z workers.
However, he says, it showed that more needs to be done to help move D&I forwards, especially when it comes to the burden on staff.
"What ends up happening is you get a lot of burnout, and a lot of extra hours are taken from professionals like myself: people involved in D&I, or people who really want to make a change for a community and do the work around it - because it's extra to your day role."
It's a topic that isn't discussed as much as it should be. People who are passionate about diversity often find themselves taking on responsibility for pushing D&I initiatives, like allyship events and employee resource groups - and that means they're spending less time on their core role.
As Kyle puts it, "If there are people that are doing D&I work, it means that somewhere along the way HR teams...are not doing the work that is necessary."
The end result can be burnout in some of the most passionate people in the company.
Leading by example
Kyle, however, has not been turned off. In fact, he's aiming for a CIO role.
"I would really like to go to that exec level if I can, to really be a representation for other people and where they can go to.
"[Tech is] in a bit of an evolving period at the moment, where it's not just the core technologists and coders and mathematicians that sit in tech anymore. It's also more business-minded and -focused people, such as myself, that can also be successful."
The UK tech industry is in a strong place, developing impressive innovations every year. But its makeup doesn't reflect the population as a whole: the people who use those innovations and developments.
Supporting people like Kyle into leadership positions should diversify thought, avoid groupthink and ensure the industry reflects its users' perspectives.
Computing is committed to helping young people enter and succeed in UK tech. If you're a new joiner, returner or just considering a move into the tech space, check out our dedicated page on the best tech roles for new starters.
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