PwC, Tesco, JP Morgan, British Science Association, NatWest, women in tech
PwC is launching a new initiative today called Tech She Can, to get more women into technology-related jobs. The company is collaborating with 17 other corporations — ranging from Tesco to JP Morgan — to tear down barriers for women entering technology by creating what they dubbed a “tech talent pipeline”.
Sheridan Ash, the PwC women in tech leader, said they were inspired to create this program after the company researched women in tech last year. Their survey of students found that only three per cent of UK women considered technology as their first choice career, while only 27 per cent of women would consider a career in technology (compared to 62 per cent of men).
They wanted to figure out why students did and did not study technology, and two top reasons women cited for not entering the industry were the lack of role models as well as not understanding how technology had a positive impact on the world.
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So Tech She Can devised a three-fold plan to attract more women to technology: making curriculums more applicable to technology in the future, elevating women in tech and creating educational toolkits.
“This will be very specific to a much younger generation,” Ash said of the toolkit. “We know it can be too late when you’re looking at your A-levels or something vocational, and then basically it’s too late by then.”
She said while the no-cost resources are for all UK students, they will be slightly geared toward women, such as by showing how technology can be used for good — though also acknowledging how it can be used for bad. All the companies that signed on to help agreed to further these initiatives.
Here is the full list of companies chartering Tech She Can with PwC: British Science Association, Business 3.0, Digital Jam, everywoman, FDisruptors, Girlguiding, InnovateHer, JP Morgan, Modern Muse, money.co.uk, NatWest Markets, Sophos, Smoothwall, TechGirls, Tech Talent Charter, Tesco, T Systems, and Zoopla Property Group.
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