Manchester-based coding school Code Nation has partnered with Sky to ‘myth bust’ perceptions about women working in technology roles.
The two companies recently ran a survey and competition to gauge the appetite of women wanting tech careers; engaging more than 30,000 women.
It resulted in one student from Manchester and another from Leeds being awarded scholarships on a three-month Code Nation course, which will see them train to become fully fledged software developers.
“There is such a worrying misconception in tech,” said Code Nation CEO Andy Lord.
“We are short of millions of skilled workers, yet there continues to be an ill-conceived belief that women – half of the potential workforce – aren’t interested in tech careers.”
“The reach of this competition and the 30,000 plus women who engaged with it, prove that there’s a huge appetite from women who want to get into arguably, the UK’s most important sector.”
Thomas Dean at Sky talent partner RTM added: “This competition clearly demonstrated that interest in tech is not as one-sided as many assume. As an intrinsic part of every business’ strategy for growth, we need to be providing the resources to up-skill and develop enthusiastic learners to be part of the digital future.
“Sky is committed to championing diversity and paving the way for all budding tech recruits, regardless of gender or background, to commence their careers.”
The news comes just weeks after Code Nation announced a significant partnership with fashion brand N Brown Group, who has joined forces to train digital recruits using Apprenticeship Levy funding streams.
The deal, Code Nation’s first in the North of England, will see up to five N Brown apprentices trained by Manchester-headquartered Code Nation each year.