Getting into Tech? The Future Is Women

In Uk, only 17% of the technology workforce, according to WISE, are women. With only 5% of them running leadership positions. However, the industry demands equal representation of women, and if you’re planning to move into tech, TechUPWomen is the programme that focuses on tech career and training for women.

Women in the UK lack opportunities to get into the tech industry. It is a vicious circle that begins in schools, where young female students are not guided about what the industry can offer. In response, girls are not inspired or interested in researching by themself.

According to Women in Tech Report, only 27% of University female students would consider a career in technology than male students, who positively responded in 62%.

Tech industry also is considered by female students as a wrongly non-creative environment.

Technology nowadays is used in various sectors; in understanding customer journeys in the retail sector and drive new trends. It is also used in architecture, art, design, games, media and e-publishing even digital cinematography.

According to women in tech report, women are more involved in healthcare positions, which suggests that they are better positioned than men to create technologies to meet citizens’ healthcare needs.

Why is Gender Gap so crucial in the tech industry?

Women represent the most significant market opportunity globally. The influence consumer economy is enormous. Gender analysts Catalyst.Org estimates that 67% of all UK Household consumption is controlled or influenced by women.

According to Diversity in Tech research, companies would benefit from hiring women because they would bring more creativity, knowledge, and strategy business, enabling varied problem-solving approaches.

If UK businesses can bring more women into higher-paying sectors such as technology, this would help reduce the gender pay gap and increase women economic empowerment to benefit the UK economy and society.

Lack of women role models is also a barrier to enable women to understand how technology can be beneficial.

66% of diversity and inclusion in tech research respondents could name a famous man working in technology, but only 22% could name a famous woman. PWC UK carried out the research.

Johanna Waite, Project Manager IoC TechUPWomen said: “Tech business needs diverse teams to reach its full potential. “An identikit workforce leads to a narrow cultural lens from which to view the world and deliver innovation.

“Society is not a level playing field. We must embrace people from every background, the under-served and the underestimated. Those with the potential to thrive in, enrich and diversify the technology sector are everywhere.

“Yet their potential is too often restrained and unfulfilled, struggling to breakthrough.”

Johanna has a decade of experience. She successfully delivers projects across the engineering, energy and nuclear, heritage, charity and higher education sectors and passion for non-profit and community projects.

She has managed the multi-award winning TechUPWomen programme based at Durham University for the past two years, training women from minority groups into tech careers and addressing gender imbalance and skills gap in the sector.

Johanna also said: “TechUP exists to bridge this gap.”

TechUPWomen

Led by Professors Sue Black, OBE, TechUPWOMEN project is funded by the Institute of Coding. It is a training programme that focuses on individuals and minority groups in tech careers.

The retraining programme, developed by the Partner Universities in conjunction with the Industrial Partners, is a course for postgraduates; with two modules which are:

Technology: coding, data science, cybersecurity, machine learning, agile project management.

Workplace readiness skills: public speaking, clear communication, working as a team.

Johanna said: “It takes those with the potential to succeed who are unable to access the tech industry. We work closely with industry to retrain, up-skill, motivate and inspire.”

However, TechUPWomen was a cohort programme, which took 100 women from the Midlands and North of England with degrees or experience in any technology area.

 Allowing them to get into internship/apprenticeship or job. TechUPWomen is currently referring to women in their email list for future cohorts’ programmes under the section apply.

On the TechUPwomen website, there is also a section to enrol on a taster course that gets an informal certificate. It also refers you to the Institute of Coding course catalogue for further training courses.

TechUP team will continue to offer advice to anyone who gets in touch; however, I suggest approaching them via email first and then seeing their availability.

The tech industry demands women and role models. Embraces different cultures, is the movement of ideas and trends, is socio-economic growth and is meaningful work. So, ladies, why missing out on so many opportunities that would make a difference in shaping our career and giving good examples to new generations?

Johanna said: “The Tech industry is open to women past 35, many of our TechUPWomen were above this age, and over 40% have now gained new employment or promotion into a new role since completing the programme.

 “Older women are invaluable to the tech sector as they offer a wealth of experience and transferable skills that millennials and gen z just haven’t had time to accumulate yet.

 “And many employers are now starting to recognise this.”