Diversity and inclusion in technology
Lack of diversity in business can lead to poorer performance and the development of products and solutions that don’t work for all members of society – and technology is no different. Traditionally, technology careers have been seen as a man’s world - below are some of the ways in which we’re trying to help redress the balance.
Thrive in a digital world
Understanding young people’s motivations
The IoC is a Government-backed initiative to support the development of digital skills. Deloitte has worked with the IoC to develop a survey for 16-24 year olds which asks participants about their motivations for choosing a career and their perceptions of a digital career. The aim is to better understand how these perceptions grow - to help to attract more future talent to a career in technology. The goal is to ensure that the future digital workforce is diverse and representative of society as a whole. It’s also an opportunity to educate young people about the importance of digital skills in many different careers.
Developing tomorrow’s pioneers
Deloitte is a founding partner of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills based in London. Ada aims for half of students to be women and half to come from low-income backgrounds. This ethos mirrors our thinking and 53 of our own apprentices study there. We've helped the college forge stronger links with industry, develop a five-year growth plan, target investment, scale its offering and reach the highest teaching standards.
Helping mums become Salesforce developers
Salesforce Supermums is a programme that trains and supports mums on their journey to becoming certified Salesforce professionals. The programme mission is to tackle issues surrounding equality, women in tech and unemployment. With 2.6M mums not working in the UK - due largely to lack of flexible work opportunities and a continuously growing Salesforce ecosystem, with 3.3M new jobs estimated to be created by 2022 - Salesforce Supermums fills the gap by encouraging workforce development and empowering mums to launch their Salesforce careers. Deloitte Digital sponsors the EMEA Platform Developer I Course.
Building the first robotics academy in Northern Ireland
Deloitte has worked with the Department for the Economy and Belfast Metropolitan College to create a pipeline of highly-skilled talent in Belfast and beyond through a pioneering robotics academy in Northern Ireland. Based at Belfast Metropolitan College, the 11-week course is part of the Assured Skills Programme, an employment initiative funded by Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy (DfE).
Getting more women into cyber
Lisa Hamilton, a director in our London-based Cyber Risk practice, set up our UK Women in Cyber (WiC) initiative four years ago to increase gender diversity in the field and has taken it to Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Its mix of events, research, coaching, mentoring and link-ups with clients is inspiring a community of future talent to join a profession they may not otherwise have considered, boosting women’s representation in the process.
Return to work - in software development
Deloitte’s Return to Work Retraining Programme with Makers Academy, offers careers in software development to those who have been out of the workforce for two or more years. Programme participants are permanently employed by Deloitte and complete a level four Software Developer Apprenticeship qualification in the first 12 months.
Helping Codefirst:Girls to teach women to code
Deloitte partnered with Codefirst:Girls to teach web development to women between the ages of 18-23 years old. The women were either still in school or just out of school. The goal of the 8 week course was to teach them the skills to build a website, providing in-demand skills in the jobs market.
Dave Tansley
