For all the UK tech sector’s many achievements, it continues to experience a significant shortfall in skills and remains largely inaccessible to individuals from more disadvantaged communities.

This has not gone unnoticed in government. Addressing DTX24 conference last year, Baroness Jones, the junior minister responsible for “the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety”, said more work was needed to grow geographical, gender and cultural diversity in the industry.

Improvements in the skills pipeline had to start in schools, she said, which was why the curriculum was under review “to ensure it meets the needs of the modern world”.

It is certainly in the interest of the entire IT industry to encourage more young people from areas with higher levels of deprivation to pursue subjects such as science, technology and maths, but this is not just a matter of improving ESG metrics to appease ministers. It’s about unlocking potential, breaking down barriers for people of all backgrounds and alleviating the chronic lack of skills within the country.

Diversity in the workplace inspires energy and fresh thinking - the more of it within an IT organisation, the more innovative it is about problem-solving, with less likelihood of falling into ‘groupthink’ and stagnation.

Initiating societal change in attitudes to STEM subjects

According to the Tech Talent Charter’s Diversity in Tech report 2024, just 29 percent of UK tech employees are women or non-binary, while only three percent have disclosed they are neurodivergent, compared to UK estimates of neurodivergence of 15-20 percent.

While various short-term initiatives, such as diversity training workshops, recruitment campaigns targeting underrepresented groups, or one-off scholarships, have aimed to improve the situation, real change requires a deeper cultural shift.

Tech companies must adopt consistent, long-range approaches that include early STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) engagement within schools and colleges.

Analysis by a not-for-profit company supplying STEM learning suggests school students from non-disadvantaged backgrounds are about twice more likely to take science or maths A levels than their disadvantaged contemporaries.

There is no single answer to these disparities, but while the industry can wait a long time for governments to invest more in STEM education at primary and secondary level, there are initiatives it can take itself.

Tech businesses should consider, for example, establishing partnerships with local schools. It is important to give young students educational experiences out of what has been the norm so they can consider a broader range of careers. Mentoring need not be a formal process; it can very often be a brief chat that sparks new perspectives or boosts someone’s confidence.

From my own experience growing up on a council estate in Scotland where most young people did not think about university, the turning point came when a science teacher saw my potential and urged me to enrol for higher qualifications. That encouragement led me to an electronics course, where I was frequently the only female in the room. Sadly, even today, many people never get the benefit of such support and encouragement.

Whether the cause is economic, an absence of role models, or outright discrimination, bright minds are routinely overlooked. Tech companies need to trigger change through skills-driven initiatives and clubs, the ongoing sponsorship of STEM workshops, or creating apprenticeships that look beyond the usual degree-focused routes.

At the same time, it’s vital to foster a culture that values continuing education – learning does not end with a school exam certificate or a degree. Right across the tech industry, the highest achievers understand learning is a lifelong process that strengthens their leadership and continually sparks innovation.

Include the neurodiverse

If we consider a broader definition of disadvantage beyond economic or social deprivation, then it is only right for tech organisations to continue to focus on recruiting more neurodiverse people in order to harness their strengths and capabilities.

Embracing neurodiversity may be important from a fairness perspective but it also has significant value strategically. Again, this is about having every type of thinker in a team – enabling it to benefit from many different approaches. These individuals often bring unique strengths, such as spotting details others overlook or offering entirely different perspectives. This can be invaluable in fields like cybersecurity, where successful defence relies on identifying anomalies within vast data sets.

If the UK tech industry is to resolve its seemingly interminable skills shortages, casting the net into a deeper and wider pool of talent is a necessity. Organisations will have to make their own weather and there is no better place to start than in a local school in a community struggling with deprivation in all its many forms. Thousands of small initiatives can achieve an important shift in the right direction, to the benefit of the entire industry.

Marion Stewart Chief Executive Officer Red Helix