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We are at a pivotal moment for the future of the UK’s tech sector.

When we first launched the Tech Talent Charter back in 2015, women held fewer than 15% of tech roles across the country, and few other diversity data points even existed.

As the UK’s fastest growing economy, a gaping chasm was opening between supply and demand for tech skills, and the industry was at risk of leaving behind those sectors of society not adequately represented within its ranks.

Hello, I’m Ed Gaze. I run an insurtech broker dedicated to helping startups launch innovative insurance solutions. I created JustParent because I saw the need to make enhanced parental leave both accessible and sustainable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One instance which really hit home was a friend who said she felt that she was being discriminated against for being a 30-something married woman when applying to tech start-ups. She stopped applying to SMEs and joined a Big Tech company instead. With 36,900 SMEs in the UK that employ 50-249 people each, the scale of this problem is huge and it’s clear something needs to be done, but the government is unlikely to be able to afford it.

To mark London Tech Week, we asked Professor Sonia Blandford for her views - established over a lifetime leading the debate on social mobility - what it will take for us to make meaningful progress on socioeconomic diversity in tech. Sonia has 40+ years of experience in education including as a university Dean of Education, Pro-Vice Chancellor, school governor. Her credentials include Emeritus Professor of Social Mobility at Plymouth Marjon, Visiting Professor of Education UCL, Honorary Professor Warwick University, and founder of the award-winning charity, Achievement for All. Here’s what she had to say:

The technology industry is growing at a rapid rate and recruiting skilled individuals to fill positions is increasingly difficult. There is a significant challenge in the fact that many prestigious organisations have a legacy of fishing from a limited pool of talent. This is because, although talent can be found in all walks of life, the traditional route to “elite” careers involves a combination of influence and opportunity that is rarely available to young people from under-resourced or under-represented backgrounds. At The Elephant Group, we believe that the third sector can help with this problem: social equity organisations have the potential to connect businesses committed to diversity with highly engaged, capable people who should be in their talent pipeline.

The tech industry is at a crossroads in an era when the rapid pace of technological innovation outstrips the availability of skilled professionals. The IT skills gap stifles innovation and hinders social mobility across the United Kingdom. Forbes and Oxford Learning report that 93% of businesses face an IT skills gap, with 20% of the UK workforce anticipated to be underskilled by 2030. This situation demands a robust response from CTOs, CIOs, and all stakeholders in the tech ecosystem.

Introducing Auticon: the 80% autistic employer

My name is Emma Walker. I am the Regional Director of Auticon Scotland. Auticon is a global IT Consultancy and social enterprise that exclusively employs autistic consultants. We have offices in 15 countries and employ over 500 people of which 80% are autistic.

When reflecting on the importance of inclusion in tech, we must look beyond just the boundaries of our workforces, and take an inclusive outlook on the services that we provide to the population as a whole. Digital exclusion is a real and growing problem in the UK, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable groups in society. Essential services such as healthcare, education and financial assistance are becoming increasingly digitised, making digital skills and access to devices critical to everyday life. As a result of this shift, there is a common misconception that we are living in a completely digital society, but the statistics show that there are entire communities slipping through the cracks.

Beazley has set out to tackle the stigma around mental health at work. Here are insights from their work with R;pple - a digital crisis intervention tool that gets people the mental health support they need.

Tech Talent Charter works with companies of all sizes, sectors, and origins. Nancy Maher is the Founder of Kinkajou Limited, a boutique UK-based global consultancy supporting individuals and businesses in tech drive positive change. With three decades of experience in tech, leadership roles in large organisations across Europe and North America, and an accredited EMCC coach, she knows first-hand what it is like to head up global product teams and change management programmes and why keeping sight of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals is vital.

The average hourly salary of mothers in the UK is only 72% of that earned by fathers, recent data has revealed. This means the gap is even worse than 50 years ago! This glaring disparity unveils the profound impact of the 'motherhood penalty,' casting a long shadow over gender equality in the workforce.