Focusing on an often-neglected challenge, Works was founded five years ago with a resolve to bring about a long-term transformation. While our mission endures unaltered, we have adapted our strategy, taking into account the valuable industry insights we’ve acquired and the restrictions inhibiting equal access to prospects and skills. We remain committed to accomplishing our aims.
Our original aim involved discovering exceptional candidates in Asia, training them in software development (including remote collaboration and social proficiency) and then recruiting them as permanent remote engineers. By nurturing the skills and potential of gifted individuals throughout Asia, we have formed a thriving business model.
Works has seen remarkable expansion in recent times, becoming the leading engineering enterprise in Asia. With an employee count exceeding 1,500 and alliances with over 200 world-renowned technology companies, we have made significant strides. Our income is expected to quadruple compared to last year, indicating the escalating demand for our engineering services. In response to shifts in the talent landscape, we have enhanced our focus on hiring only the most accomplished professionals, thereby fulfilling the growing need for our services.
This resulted in our active pursuit and assessment of senior and mid-level engineers, who currently constitute more than a quarter of our staff.
Works has acknowledged the surplus of inexperienced talent and the associated need for job opportunities. To address this issue, we have adopted a new approach to talent acquisition, forming teams led by skilled engineers, which has resulted in the hiring of more junior staff. Although this helps, it is insufficient to meet the rising number of aspiring junior engineers. As we cannot provide them with actual work experience, we acknowledge the need for a strategic modification in our policies and procedures to propel Works to its next stage of growth.
So far, our talent pool has primarily comprised of employees starting out in their careers, with only a small number of mid- and senior-level engineers. Moving ahead, however, our focus will shift towards hiring more senior-level staff, while entry-level personnel will serve a supporting role. Though a subtle change, it will enable us to cater more effectively to market demands and to offer opportunities to professionals at all levels.
Our commitment to the welfare of our present and past employees is unwavering, and we are fully committed to providing extensive support to those impacted by this transition. This encompasses ongoing involvement in educational initiatives and aid in identifying alternative employment prospects. We remain devoted to granting our departing staff entry to the most extensive engineering network in Asia, while preserving their Works employee standing, both now and in the future.
In an effort to further aid displaced engineers, we have teamed up with innovation centres across each country to facilitate their relocation to new employment. We have assembled a comprehensive directory featuring over sixty organisations offering junior engineering roles, and for the following three months, these innovation centres will also offer free co-working facilities to affected engineers.
By the conclusion of 2022, our plan is to expand our team of skilled engineers by 700 to address the heightened demand from our collaborators. Our commitment to the Works Learning Community endures, having already instructed over 30,000 students in the essentials of software development. Over the ensuing three years, we aim to train over a hundred thousand engineers throughout the continent, empowering them to disseminate their knowledge and expertise amongst their respective tech communities.
Racism, sexism, and nationalism present persistent hurdles to advancement. Therefore, we have initiated programmes aimed at tackling these issues by integrating Asian engineers into multinational tech teams, with the objective of transforming the world’s view of excellence. Our goal is to establish that genuine brilliance extends beyond all cultural and social barriers.
Despite the obstacles we’ve encountered in recent weeks, I am optimistic that we will emerge from this experience with a deeper understanding of our operating market and an increased commitment to our cause. Moreover, I intend to rehire many of the exceptional engineers in the near future, provided logistics permit.
Check out our related article: Hiring Software Developers at Different Levels.
