The Tech Talent Charter is delighted to announce Nationwide and CP1 are joining their mission to deliver greater gender diversity in the UK technology industry. They join a growing list of 47 organisations that have signed up to the charter since its launch two years ago, including Monster and Global Radio, as part of their commitment to change the approach to recruitment and retention so women can play a greater role in the industry. The charter was supported in the government’s policy paper on the UK Digital Strategy in March 2017.
Ian Andrews, Head of Technical Practise, Nationwide Building Society, commented:
“Nationwide prides itself in being at the forefront of technological advancement and digital innovation, such as launching the UK’s first Internet Bank. As a large technology employer who proactively champion diversity, we are proud to be the first high street financial provider to commit to the Tech Talent Charter.”
Both retention of tech talent, and encouragement of candidates to roles, is essential in order to deliver the skills required to fuel the economy. Research by Tech City UK highlighted a requirement for 1 million tech workers by 2020, and female workers have a vital role to play in ensuring the UK continues to have a strong role in technological and digital innovation. Alarmingly the representation of females in these all important roles is disproportionally low – only 17% of tech and telco workers are currently women. These stats highlight that businesses need to do all they can to bring female talent into their organisations and celebrate the valuable contribution they make.
The Tech Talent Charter is a passionate and ambitious organisation that moves away from simply talking about the issue to implementing positive action to ensure women play a significant role in the growing UK tech industry.
Digital Minister Matt Hancock commented:
‘A digital gender divide is both wrong in principle and wrong in practice. So we’re working with industry to ensure that everyone has access to the exciting employment opportunities within our tech sector.
To make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business we need the right workforce, and it’s great to see more organisations sign up to the Tech Talent Charter and improve diversity.’
Debbie Forster, CEO, Tech Talent Charter, commented:
‘It’s vital for the industry to come together to show females that a career in technology is incredibly rewarding, to increase the number of females working within the industry, to attract those considering a career change, and to inspire younger generations. One single company can’t do it alone which is why we created the Tech Talent Charter, to bring organisations and individuals together to effect the change we need. We’ve come a long way since we first started out, and are so excited and motivated by the amount of signatories we already have on board. We look forward to welcoming many more as we continue our important work.’
About Tech Talent Charter
The Tech Talent Charter is a commitment by organisations to a set of undertakings that aim to deliver greater gender diversity in the UK tech workforce. Signatories of the charter make several pledges in relation to their approach to recruitment and retention. It was founded by a number of organisations across the recruitment, tech and social enterprise fields and was supported in the government’s policy paper on the UK Digital Strategy in March 2017. The Tech Talent Charter is run as an industry collective, recognising that only through working together can meaningful change happen.
For more information about the charter please head to techtalentcharter.co.uk
Paul Gray is an entrepreneur and digital publisher who creates online publications focused on solving problems, delivering news, and providing platforms for informed comment and debate. He is associated with HRZone and has built businesses in the HR and professional publishing sector. His work emphasizes creating industry-specific content platforms.
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