New scholarship initiative introduced to promote diversity in the tech field of Britain

• Aparna Sreevalsan
• 5 September, 2023

* Only a quarter of Britain’s tech workers are from an ethnic minority group.

* Google is collaborating with a UK-based equity, diversity, and inclusiveness (EDI) consulting firm Creative Equals to up-skill individuals for occupations with high demand.

* Both will work to lower the entry-level barriers faced by youngsters in the technological field.

GOOGLE and Creative Equals have teamed together to launch a new scholarship initiative that aims to empower underprivileged and underrepresented people in the UK to promote diversity in the workforce and close the widening skills gap.

Only 13 per cent of Britain’s IT employees identify as members of an ethnic minority group when looking at representation in senior-level positions, according to Ali Hanan, founder and CEO of Creative Equals.

“Marginalised and vulnerable communities are grossly underrepresented in the tech industry,” said Hanan. “We must ensure people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to contribute to the tech economy.”

Hanan added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Google to give individuals the opportunity to up-skill, re-skill, explore other industries and, if they choose to, pivot their careers. Digital skills are crucial to building the workforce of tomorrow and it’s essential we help to up-skill UK talent.”

The Sutton Trust, an educational charity, asserts that when taking socio-economic origins into account, the largest obstacle to those from underprivileged backgrounds entering the tech industry is not knowing the appropriate people, but rather understanding how the sector functions and being aware of the variety of tech professions available.

Their study says that almost nine out of ten tech workers had completed a degree, and over one third had done their high school and college education outside of the UK, offering them a more dynamic view of the opportunities available in the tech sphere.

Creative Equals and Google are going to work to lower the entry-level technological barrier.

In eight critical areas—UX Design, Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, Project Management, Data Analytics, Advanced Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, IT assistance, and Cybersecurity—they have established 15 fully funded scholarships with mentor assistance.

 

*The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage.