The two-year partnership’s target is to “enable long-term change, not only within THG, but across the entire technology industry,” said Chief Information Officer Jo Drake.Through the partnership, THG employees will be invited to enrol in Tech She Can’s volunteering programme ‘Tech We Can Champions’, becoming “relatable tech role models” delivering online and in-person classroom visits across the UK to teach school-age children valuable technology and life skills.

The initiative forms part of its ambitions of achieving 50% female representation in THG’s Graduate & Apprenticeship schemes by 2025, one of the four key objectives in its THG x Planet Earth sustainability strategy.Tech She Can has grown to include over 240 collaborating member organisations and has reached 53,000 pupils in classrooms across the UK. With a focus on social mobility, over 50% of the schools were in disadvantaged areas.The initiative comes against the backdrop of an industry skills shortage. According to Tech Nation, there were two million vacancies for tech roles across the UK economy in 2022, with 70% of UK technology employers reporting skills shortages. Despite this, only 26% of the tech workforce is female compared to 50% of the labour market overall, a number which is consistent across organisations of all sizes.