Channel partners back Tech She Can Charter

Onecom is the latest technology firm to back the Tech She Can Charter.

Designed to boost the number of women pursuing technology careers, the charter has been backed by leading industry figures. Among the first signatories were PwC, British Science Association, Business 3.0, Digital Jam, everywoman, FDisruptors, Girlguiding, InnovateHer, JP Morgan, Modern Muse, money.co.uk, NatWest Markets, Sophos, Smoothwall, TechGirls, Tech Talent Charter, Tesco, T Systems, and Zoopla Property Group.

Currently only 23 per cent of people working in STEM jobs are female. PwC’s research Women in Tech: Time to Close the Gender Gap reveals that only just over a quarter of females say they would consider a career in technology, compared to 62 per cent of males. And more worryingly still is only 3 per cent of women said that a career in tech would be their first choice.

Parysa Hosseini-Sech (pictured), head of Human Resources at Onecom, said: “Onecom is committed to ensuring that all young people, regardless of gender, have the opportunity to pursue and progress in a rewarding career in communications technology. We are delighted to be actively supporting the Tech She Can programme. The gender imbalance in technology roles is a key issue of our time that we need to work together to address head on.

She added: “We’re already seeing the huge impact technology is having on our lives. If the sector and people in technology roles don’t reflect wider society there’s a real risk that the products and technology advances will be biased. The demand for technology skills from businesses is already reaching critical levels and is only set to increase. This is our chance to build a diverse and inclusive pipeline of technology talent, which will help position UK businesses at the forefront of innovation and investment in the future.”

Last week’s gender pay reports revealed that major tech firms are, on average, paying women far less than their male counterparts.