Why we’ve joined the Tech Talent Charter
In July 2020, we joined the Tech Talent Charter, a commitment by Signatory organisations to work together to increase the inclusion and diversity of the tech workforce in the UK.
It’s no secret that the UK tech sector lags behind other parts of the world when it comes to representation; Tech Nation describes is as a ‘diversity dilemma’ in their recent report, and the stats below from the Tech Talent Charter spotlights the amount of work that's still required to stamp out inequality.
This summer, we joined the Tech Nation East of England roadshow and it was comforting to hear the regional discussions and work being done to address the imbalance not just in technology companies but in the investment companies that fund them. The needle is slowly moving in the right direction.
The stats speak for themselves:
- Currently, just 16% of UK IT professionals are female and only one in ten females are currently taking A-Level computer studies.
- 14% of the UK working population is from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background yet only 8.5% of senior leaders in the tech sector are BAME
- 19% of the UK working population has a disability yet only 9% of IT specialists in the UK have a disability.
Stats sourced from www.techtalentcharter.co.uk
Why join now?
Becoming a Signatory of the Tech Talent Charter is vitally important for the sustained growth and development of our team. We truly appreciate the benefits a diverse and inclusive workforce can bring so we will review our data and make a pledge to continually improve our recruitment, retention and progression opportunities.
As a growing startup with 23 team members, we’re proud to have a mix of nationalities (five in total) across our Cambridge and Bristol offices. Our interns and graduates are supported by our expert product teams and it’s fair to say even our senior engineers are learning a thing or two from our younger cohort!
Becky Read, our Senior Hiring Manager, comments: “We are proud to become a signatory for the Tech Talent Charter. As FocalPoint goes from strength to strength, it is vitally important that Diversity and Inclusion acts as part of our core values. We welcome talent from across the globe with our Tier 2 Visa Sponsorship Licence and seek enthusiastic individuals who can culturally add value to our business.”
Whilst we continue to work on our internal processes, we thought we could share a small snapshot of our actions:
- Trained all staff and managers to recognise the value and importance of D&I in the workplace
- Embedded diversity and inclusion into our recruitment practices
- Included diversity and inclusion questions into our bi-annual surveys
- Promote family friendly, flexible working opportunities
- Raise awareness of unconscious bias
We are proud and committed to share and learn from our Tech Talent Charter Signatories
Join us, sign-up here.
Snapshot of a few of the TTC signatories