Government signs Charter to boost gender diversity in tech jobs

Minister Margot James wants digital and creative industries to follow lead

The Tech Talent Charter covers all organisations employing people in technology roles and commits signatories to including women on interview shortlists wherever possible and collecting and submitting anonymised data for an annual diversity report.

The government’s Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James, is writing to major tech firms asking them to sign up to the charter to support gender diversity across the industry.

The scheme already has more than 125 signatories including Dell, Sage and Cisco.

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, writes:

“It is essential the public sector leads the way in driving this change and today I can announce every Government department will be signing the charter.

“Cracking the challenge is in part about changing the education system but it’s also about changing the culture and opening up.”

The Tech Talent Charter (TTC) asks signatories to make a number of pledges in relation to their approach to recruitment and retention.

It is an employer-led initiative. In March 2017, the government supported the Charter in its UK Digital Strategy policy paper.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was the first Government Department to sign the charter. Other Government departments are now following suit.

The charter brings the public, private and charitable sectors together to share ideas and experience. It also gives organisations clear actions and principles to adopt to become more gender-diverse.