Code First Girls, a pioneering initiative, is bridging the gender gap in the tech industry by equipping over 200,000 women with invaluable coding skills, all without cost.
With the UK tech sector facing a significant skills shortage, this program stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for many women looking to enter or switch to tech careers.
A Year of Remarkable Achievements
In the last year alone, Code First Girls provided over 80,000 learning opportunities. This contrasts sharply with the 18,000 women who enrolled in Computer Science undergraduate degrees across the UK.
The organisation’s approach is inclusive, targeting a largely untapped talent pool with 49% of its community comprising career switchers.
Collaborations and Partnerships
Code First Girls collaborates with over 130 partners, including major companies like Sainsbury’s, GCHQ, Nike, and Activision Blizzard. These partnerships support the placement of women in various tech roles.
The diverse range of roles includes AI Engineers, Cyber Security specialists, DevOps professionals, and Data Scientists, among others.
Entry-level, mid-level, and upskilling programmes are available, helping build global talent pipelines.
International Reach
The organisation extends its support to international markets including Poland, Germany, the USA, Singapore, and India.
These partnerships with global firms enhance the diversity and innovation within tech teams. Women trained by Code First Girls bring creative problem-solving skills.
The benefits of recruiting women from non-technical backgrounds include performance improvements and innovation across sectors.
Progress in Female Representation
The tech industry has seen a gradual increase in the representation of women, growing from 15% in 2020 to 19% in 2023.
However, according to BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, it could take another 283 years for women in the UK tech sector to match the 48% representation of women in the wider workforce.
This slow progress underscores the necessity of initiatives like Code First Girls.
Voices of Influence
Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, highlighted the programme’s impact by stating, “With women making up just a fifth of the tech industry, it’s clear the traditional model of coding education is failing to support women and people from more diverse backgrounds into tech.”
Lorraine Barnes, Consulting Partner at Deloitte, emphasised, “An inclusive culture attracts top talent, enables innovation, and provides high-quality service for our clients.”
Chris Williamson from TUI noted, “Gender diversity in technology is still a real challenge. Diverse teams perform better, deliver greater innovation, and bring differing viewpoints.”
Corporate Support and Benefits
Corporations acknowledge the value in partnering with Code First Girls. These partnerships enable firms to create their own talent pipelines and bring new perspectives into their technology departments.
George Parry, Director of CTOO Talent Acquisition at Credit Suisse, praised the initiative: “Code First Girls provides women from non-technical backgrounds the skills, confidence, and inspiration to become software or data engineers and future tech leaders.”
A Future of Potential
The success stories of women transitioning into tech through Code First Girls are numerous and inspiring.
These achievements showcase the potential impact of similar initiatives globally.
Code First Girls is making significant strides in addressing the tech industry’s gender disparity.
By equipping women with essential tech skills, the organisation is creating a more inclusive and innovative future for the sector.
