Non-profit organisation, the Tech Talent Charter (TTC,) was formed with the aim of addressing inequality in the UK tech sector and encourage inclusion in practical and measurable ways.
According to figures released as part of the initiative’s annual benchmarking report, it already appears to be doing just that.
Women now make up almost a quarter (24%) of tech-based employees at businesses that have signed up.
This shows an increase from just under a fifth (19%) last year and is considerably higher than the 17% of women in tech roles at companies nationwide.
One factor could be that companies signing the charter are already more forward-thinking, but the statistics remain encouraging.
The TTC’s CEO Debbie Forster told the Evening Standard: ‘There’s still a lot to do. But what’s exciting is we’re starting to have some stats to reinforce what we’re saying, looking at the correlation of companies who are bringing in diversity and inclusion strategies, setting targets for more diverse shortlists, for returners and retraining programmes.’
The TTC has introduced a list of things that its members can do, including carrying out diversity and inclusion audits, exploring alternative pathways into techs, and establishing diversity goals on hiring shortlists.
UK tech received record investment last year
Independent research released on the same day also showed that UK tech companies received record investments of £10.1bn last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 44%.
Secretary of State Baroness Morgan added that the UK was producing double the number of unicorns (tech companies valued at $1bn or more) as Germany and three times more than France.
She agreed that the TTC’s figures were encouraging but said that she wanted to see more women reaping the benefits of a burgeoning tech sector.
She said that women make up 50% of the country, the workforce and diversity of views and they want 50% of people to share in this success.
Morgan also set out what she said were the five key principles the government needed to implement in order to make technology work for everyone.
These were being a pro-technology government, sharing the benefits of technology widely and fairly, introducing pro-innovation regulation, committing to a free and open internet, and protecting the vulnerable while ensuring safety and security for all.
Today’s news was brought to you by TD SYNNEX – the UK’s number one solutions distributor.
