Durham University Help Create Opportunity for Women to Retrain in Tech Sector
A hundred women can retrain in the technology sector thanks to a new training programme. Tech Up is led by Durham University in partnership with three universities and 16 companies in the technology industry.
Currently, women make up only 17 per cent of the technology sector workforce, significantly lower than most other UK sectors.
Funded by the Office for Students, through the Institute of Coding, the Tech Up programme aims to address this shortage by recruiting women who want to start a career in the tech sector, particularly from Black, Asian and other minority or under-represented communities.
The six-month programme is open to women with degrees in any subject and was developed with industry partners and York, Edge Hill and Nottingham universities.
Participants will learn about data science, machine learning, project management and public speaking amongst other skills.
Most of the training is completed online and there will be four residential weekends for participants to attend industry-led talks and network with tech industry experts and course peers.
Durham University’s Professor Sue Black, a pioneer of women in technology and founder of #techmums and BCSWomen: the UK’s first online network for women in tech, and Computer Scientist, Professor Alexandra Cristea, are collaborating with industry on the programme.
Industry mentors will be paired up with participants to offer support.
Professor Black added: “If you have a degree, are passionate about technology and are looking for a change in career or want to try something new, I would really encourage you to apply for the programme.
“This is a brilliant opportunity to learn new skills and start a new career in a fast-paced and dynamic sector.”