Breaking Barriers: Creating Pathways for Women in Data

In 2024, Purple Beard partnered with Virgin Media O2 Business to launch a social value pilot project aimed at equipping women - either unemployed or returning to the workforce - with essential data skills. This initiative was designed to support underrepresented talent in London into tech careers, while advancing gender inclusion in the digital economy. 

The Challenge 

According to industry reports, women account for only 26% of the UK tech workforce, with lower representation in specific fields like computer science (23%) and engineering (21%). This underrepresentation is still a major challenge—one that requires collaborative effort to overcome. 
 
Despite the growing demand for data professionals, women—particularly those re-entering the workforce—face significant barriers to entering the tech sector. In London, this gap is even more pronounced in high-growth areas like data analytics and AI. Many women targeted through this project were long-term unemployed or had stepped away from work due to caring responsibilities. 

Impact Highlights 

• 35 women expressed interest across London boroughs 
• 3 women recruited (due to funding constraints) 
• 100% completed the full programme 
• 67% progressed to interviews, further training, or job roles 
• 100% reported increased confidence with digital tools 
• 100% felt more prepared to re-enter the job market 

Social Value Outcomes 

• The training supported women living in deprived London areas. 
• It focused on developing in-demand data skills—a key growth area across DDAT contracts. 
• The programme considered varied learning styles and was fully online, offering flexibility for different work or caring responsibilities. 
• Added components included mentoring, CV support, personal branding, and development of wider professional skills (e.g., communication, presentation, emotional intelligence). 
• Hands-on data analysis projects provided by employer partners helped develop practical competencies.

Meet Fadzi 

A mother and former pharmacist living in London, Fadzi had been out of work for four years while caring for her children. With a passion for problem-solving and rising living costs, she knew she had potential—but lacked a clear path back to meaningful employment.

Like many women from BAME communities, Fadzi faced multiple barriers: outdated skills, low confidence, and limited access to networks or training. The digital economy was growing around her—but felt out of reach.

What We Did and How We Did It 

We built a focused, inclusive programme with social value at its core—not as a bolt-on but embedded in every decision. 

We trained a cohort of three women from BAME communities to become job-ready Data Analysts. Each woman, like Fadzi, brought her own story, potential and ambition. 

The journey started with outreach through community partners, local networks and social media. From there, we offered: 

• 6 Weeks of Flexible, Online Training: On Topics like Excel, SQL, Power BI, data cleaning, validation, dashboards. Delivered by industry practitioners, accessible from home 
• 1:1 Mentoring and Pastoral Support when they needed. 
• Employability and Career Progression Support: From confidence coaching to emotional intelligence workshops. Personalised help with LinkedIn, CVs, and job interviews. 

We made sure the programme was accessible to different learning styles, with flexible delivery built around real life.  

And crucially, our team was always there—not just to teach, but to believe in the women we worked with. 

The Outcome: What Changed 

Measured Impact: 

• 100% improved confidence with digital tools 
• 100% completed the course 
• 70% progressed to interviews, jobs, or further study 
• One learner secured a second-round job interview after just 4 weeks of training 

Beyond the Numbers: 

Each learner left feeling seen, supported, and equipped.  

“The biggest impact was the confidence I gained to understand a completely different industry. I’m really inspired to grow in this area. I’m eternally grateful.” - Fadzi Gukuta, participant 

“Supporting social mobility, especially for women in tech, made this partnership impactful and hearing the learners’ stories really brings the value of this programme to life. Most businesses in the UK are SMEs, and Social Value in public sector procurement creates a great opportunity for businesses like ours to support specialist SMEs like Purple Beard.”  - Evie Metcalfe, Social Value Lead – Virgin Media O2

The most meaningful outcome is hearing these testimonials from the participants. It was so nice to hear that the learners feel empowered by doing this work and will be able to take these skills into their next role. It's just brilliant that the candidates all found value in it for different ways and want to apply it in in different industries. What’s Next? Scaling Impact 

Following the success of this pilot, Purple Beard is exploring partnerships to expand this model nationwide. 
 
With the right collaborators, we aim to: 

• Increase women and neurodiverse representation in tech by 10% over the next two years 
• Expand to more locations with high deprivation and digital exclusion 
• Co-design employer-led training for better job alignment 

Get Involved

If you’re an employer, funder, or local authority interested in supporting digital skills and social value initiatives—let’s talk. 
 
📩 [email protected] 
🌐 www.purplebeard.co.uk