A government-backed programme launching today aims to help 300 women secure paid jobs in artificial intelligence, cyber security and other technology sectors by March 2027, while offering employers free recruitment and training support.
The initiative will target women at different stages of their careers, including those seeking their first technology role, changing professions or returning to employment after a career break. Most places will be reserved for mid-career candidates.
Employers taking part will receive help finding and assessing applicants, including women whose experience lies outside the technology industry. In return, they must provide paid positions lasting at least six months and involving a minimum of 25 hours a week.
Employers offered free recruitment support
The launch of the TechFirst Women’s Programme coincides with Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of women’s achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and Women in Tech Week, which runs from October 12 to 16.
It forms part of the government’s wider £187 million TechFirst skills initiative and is being delivered by Plexal, an innovation and growth company, alongside recruitment, training and business support organisations. The programme aims to place 80 percent of participants with small and medium-sized enterprises, with the remaining 20 percent joining larger employers.
Participating businesses will receive free candidate sourcing and matching services, together with access to technical and non-technical training. Support with onboarding and continuing professional development will also be available through the programme’s delivery partners.
The assistance is intended to help smaller employers that lack dedicated recruitment resources or experience assessing candidates who are moving into technology from other sectors.
Positions can be based in workplaces, offered remotely or arranged on a hybrid basis. They must involve paid employment rather than unpaid work experience. The scheme covers artificial intelligence, cyber security, engineering biology, quantum technologies, semiconductors and advanced communications.
Vicky Foxcroft, minister for Digital Inclusion and a member of the government’s Women in Tech Taskforce, said the initiative would link women with employers seeking specialist roles.
“By connecting talented women with employers who need their skills, we’re not just opening doors for individuals; we’re strengthening the UK’s technology sector for the long term,” she said.
“Every woman should be able to see a future in AI, cyber security and the technologies shaping tomorrow.”
Career changers and returners among those targeted
The programme is designed to support women who may have the aptitude for technology roles but lack industry contacts, relevant experience or access to recruitment opportunities. Its target is for 80 percent of candidates to be mid-career professionals, with the remaining 20 percent at an early career stage.
Participants will receive skills development, mentoring and career guidance before being matched with existing vacancies. Once employed, they will continue to receive technical training and support through the delivery organisations. The approach is intended to address recruitment barriers on both sides, helping women demonstrate transferable skills while giving employers greater confidence in hiring applicants without conventional technology backgrounds.
Lisa Perkins, chief people officer at Plexal, said the industry was failing to make full use of the available workforce.
“Women are under-represented across the industry and it’s costing us dearly, challenging our growth and competitiveness. Levelling up the playing field is not simply about fairness; it’s an economic necessity,” she said.
Perkins described the initiative as more than a conventional training programme, arguing that it needed to support women into employment while helping businesses recruit people they might otherwise overlook.
Women remain under-represented in technology
Women accounted for 21 percent of the UK technology workforce in 2024, according to figures cited in the programme announcement, despite making up approximately 48 percent of the wider workforce.
Their representation was estimated at 20 percent in artificial intelligence in 2025 and 16 percent in cyber security. The figures illustrate the recruitment challenge facing an industry that is increasingly important to the British economy. The digital and technology sector contributed £158 billion in gross value added in 2024 and employed approximately 1.33 million people, according to government figures.
The programme also aims to address the difficulties women can encounter when trying to establish careers in the industry.
Obiageli Okafor, a senior product manager at cloud communications company 8×8 and a 2025 TechWomen100 winner, described struggling to secure her first technology position despite actively seeking opportunities.
“I didn’t have access to opportunities, the right network or any real guidance. It was hugely difficult,” she said.
Okafor worked in supermarkets and customer services before eventually obtaining a product internship.
“Women need to see other women in these roles to know that a career in technology is achievable,” she said.
Her experience reflects one of the barriers the programme seeks to address: the difficulty of entering an industry where employers often seek previous technical experience and established professional networks.
The initiative’s delivery partners include WeAreTheCity, CAPSLOCK, Sanderson and Beta Technology. Its success will depend on securing enough participating employers and converting the recruitment and training support into the 300 paid positions targeted by March 2027.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
