Diversity in apprenticeships

We know the tech industry is not attracting enough females into IT education. Despite this, apprenticeship starts across all sectors does have gender equality, with 50.1% men and 49.9% women starting in 18/19, however, it’s not applicable to all sectors. As choices are available, females are undoubtedly influenced when it comes to choosing their education or career by external factors such as; stereotypes, advertising, peer pressure and opinions.

The gender pay gap in technology is prominent and the gender pay gap across all apprenticeships is concerning, with males generally earning over £2000 a year more than females apprentices. The IT industry must ensure to pay apprentices the same salaries regardless of gender if they are in the same roles.

Securing a diverse workforce through apprenticeships is paramount to organisational and individual success. British Computing Society's (BCS) Policy director, Bill Mitchell OBE suggests that personal development in the tech sector is frequently hindered by the lack of diversity in tech roles and says, organisations should be proactive to ensure diversity is at the heart of departments. Apprenticeships are key for diversity as they can be more flexible around upskilling, especially if a woman wants to achieve new skills to return to the workforce.

Hiring an apprentice is beneficial to employers in numerous ways; reducing skills gaps, reaching a more diverse range of customers, shaping an individual to the requirements of the business and improving the behaviour and productivity of current members of staff. Organisations often possess an element of unconscious bias around apprenticeships, but welcoming young, homegrown, female talent into IT is where the future lies, it’s how we bridge the digital skills gap and feed the future female tech talent pipeline!

At this point BCS questions how much information on digital apprenticeships is reaching women generally! Is it that advertisements aren’t relatable to school girls or women returners/career changers aren’t confident enough in their skills to transfer into the digital sector? Do people perceive digital IT apprenticeships as being ‘too techy’ because there are so many IT opportunities like project managers, solutions managers, and business analysts. Realistically tech needs females of all ages to have confidence to undertake an IT apprenticeship to develop their competence in this fast-paced industry.

BCS’ Head of Apprenticeships, Annette Allmark, agrees that we are not opening 50% of the population's eyes to the endless opportunities that are available to them! She said “Digital is embedded in most roles today and generally people have more digital ability than they think. Apprenticeships are a way to skill people whilst boosting confidence as learning on the job is quickly applied in the workplace. The best advice I ever heard from an apprentice is to ‘give it a go’ and that’s exactly what we’d like to see more females do – the tech profession needs them".

So, how do we want to make digital IT apprenticeships good for society?

Better quality careers advice for girls and women

• BCS wants girls to be assured that they are just as if not more capable than their male classmates when it comes to a technical education/career
• Women should have the confidence to change career and demonstrate their competence through an IT apprenticeship regardless of age and previous roles
• More female career fairs to showcase the art of the possible 

More transparency around the employment of apprentices and their gender pay gap 

• Industry must ensure that if an apprentice is completing a digital IT apprenticeship, they are paid the same regardless of gender.

A change in the way apprenticeships in digital IT disciplines are marketed (to avoid stereotyping)

• We all have perceptions of jobs, which needs addressing. From a young age, we are fed gendered information, consequently we then look for careers to suit those stereotypes. The IT industry needs women; and requires strong role models alongside the right marketing to ensure a sustainable female IT pipeline.

We are trying to reduce gender disparity in the technology industry whilst futureproofing it from retaining its male-dominated status with its current workforce of just 17% females. Industry requires a constant flow of women entering tech through apprenticeships with the required technical and soft skills and needs to adapt and put diversity at the top of its agenda through educating its current tech workforce!