Charity Tech She Can is changing the ratio of women in tech
- Only 15% of computing students are girls. However, 80% of jobs in the UK now require digital skills.
- This is contributing to two issues: a lack of diversity in tech and a digital skills shortage that is costing the UK economy £60bn a year.
- Charity Tech She Can is tackling this by inspiring girls and boys about tech careers from age 5+, creating pathways for women into tech roles and influencing change in education, industry and policy.
Tech She Can, the charity on a mission to change the ratio of women in tech, is celebrating the impact it has had in its second year.
Founded by Sheridan Ash MBE, who formerly led PwC UK’s Technology and Innovation capability, in response to research she conducted into the issues facing women in tech, she explains,
“Our mission as a charity is really clear – women MUST be equal members in creating and developing the new technology businesses, products, and services that shape our world. As we come to the end of our second year as a charity our initiatives are having a significant impact on doing just that. We are directly creating a more diverse workforce for now and in the longer-term.”
Ash is Co-CEO of the charity, job-sharing the role with Dr Claire Thorne. Thorne goes on to explain,
“This year we directly reached more than 53,000 pupils in classrooms through our Tech We Can education programme – that’s more than 5 times the amount we reached in our first year. And a big part of that is thanks to the real-life tech role models – the Champions. We now have 520 volunteer Champions trained to go into schools and deliver lessons. Around 175,000 children have also accessed our online resources in Tech We Can sessions at home or in school.”
The impact of the charity’s work can be seen immediately:
- After a Tech We Can lesson children in school are twice as likely to consider a career in technology.
- After an immersive Careers Insight Day, where disengaged girls with no STEM role models, aged 13-1, spend the day with an employer, 80% of the girls said it changed their thoughts about their next step.
- Its pioneering Levy Sharing Programme, where large member organisations collectively donated £1m to help charities and SMEs benefit from fully-funded tech apprentices, has begun with the first cohort of 60 apprentices – and over 90% are women.
The charity uses animated lessons as one of the ways to engage children from a young age before gender stereotypes set in. Characters Katie & Tex explore the world of tech and are joined by real-life role models. Ava Roberts, a schoolgirl from Salford with Cerebral Palsy, features in animated lessons exploring Generative AI and the Cloud. Ava joined Tech She Can at its birthday celebration and explained how when she grows up she wants to inspire even more girls about careers in technology.
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