This year, the International Women’s Day (IWD) theme was #Break the Bias a global campaign to raise awareness around bias and encourage action toward women’s equality.
A report by Deloitte Global(opens new window) has predicted that large global technology firms, on average, will reach nearly 33% overall female representation in their workforces in 2022, up slightly more than 2 percentage points from 2019.
In spite of these developments, Milkround (opens new window)reports that 23% of female school leavers believe their male counterparts receive more support in choosing a STEM career than females. At Multiverse, we're on a mission to create a diverse group of future leaders, we know that talent is equally distributed but the opportunities to have access to learn about tech are not always present.
Insights by PWC(opens new window) show a lack of female role models is also reinforcing the perception that a technology career isn’t for women. Only 22% of students can name a famous female working in technology. Whereas two-thirds can name a famous man working in technology. We want to inspire the next generation of women tech leaders and decode the current perceptions this starts by experiencing and understanding what life could be like for a tech professional.
During the Summer half-term, the Outreach team delivered a one-day programme – Code Like a Girl: The Tech Insight. We invited 15 young women from London to participate in a Hackathon. During the day, the young women had the chance to hear and receive live mentoring from a tech professional at Sky. This was followed by a workshop on how to apply for a role in tech by Multiverse’s Admissions specialist, Shivani Rami. The day concluded with a presentation on the product built throughout the day.
The event was a success, one of the participants remarked:
"I never knew that tech could be so fun, I wanted to go to university but now know that apprenticeships can also be a great way to start a career in tech"
When asked about role models in tech, participants stated individuals such as Karlie Kloss, Ada Lovelace, and Susan Wojcicki but unsurprisingly figures much closer to home such as their IT teachers, older sisters, and even neighbors were included.
All 15 participants joined the Multiverse talent pool, and we look forward to supporting them to become future tech leaders.
Role models are key to opening increasing confidence for underrepresented individuals in tech. At Multiverse, we are committed to creating an outstanding university through our community a powerful network of apprentices and alumni. Our community members are united by their desire to grow and support each other in achieving their ambitious goals through mentoring.
Developing future leaders in tech is a focus for Multiverse, as we scale our reach in new regions such as Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds. We welcome any partnerships or initiatives to support young people into long-term careers if you have any enquiries, please contact Akeem Wangeh at akeem.wangeh@multiverse.io
