Skills, Talent and Diversity updates
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Providing Insight to Girls into Roles in Technology
When we talk about “getting girls into tech”, many people immediately picture coding. And while coding is an incredible skill, it’s just one piece of a much bigger, more exciting mosaic of roles that come together to bring digital products to life.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with groups of students aged 10-11 about the many different careers available in technology - from project managers and business analysts to user researchers, designers, testers, and beyond. And the reaction was clear, once they saw how many opportunities there are, the world of tech suddenly felt reachable.
Why We Need More Girls in Tech
Even today, girls are underrepresented in STEM pathways, and many don’t consider tech careers simply because they’ve never been shown what’s possible. They may imagine it’s all coding in dark rooms or “being good at maths”, when in reality tech is one of the most creative, collaborative, human-centred industries out there.
The best teams are diverse - in skills, backgrounds, and perspectives.
If we want technology that works for everyone, we need everyone at the table.
What I shared with the classes: Tech is a Team Sport
During the session, I walked them through the journey of a project based on a project they had undertaken to build an Anderson Shelter and highlighted some of the key roles that support it. What surprised many of them wasn’t that these roles existed - but how different they are from what they imagined a tech job to be.
Tech needs all kinds of skills:
- people skills
- creative skills
- analytical skills
- organisational strengths
- curiosity
- empathy
- communication
- logical thinking
- a love of solving problems
How we can support the future generation
I am really passionate about girls and women in tech and hope to support future events. It is important to take all opportunities no matter how small to promote the possibilities a career in tech can offer. This will to enable us to drive a brilliant diverse workforce delivering amazing tech projects!
I am keenly watching the support provided by Stemettes, a social enterprise working to engage, inform and connect the next generation of women into STEM https://stemettes.org/ and hope to get involved in supporting this initiative with mentoring by my team.
About the campaign
techUK’s March TechTogether campaign continues with a focus on ‘empowering women in tech from classroom to c-suite'. Following International Women's Day our insights this week focus on female retention and growth in tech workplaces, spotlighting successful female tech leaders, gender pay disparities in the tech world, and addressing workplace biases and strengthening DEI initiatives.
TechTogether Week 2
Other opportunities to get involved:
Other related insights:
