Netcompany announces further digital careers inclusion investment with Ahead Partnership expansion

Netcompany UK, part of the fastest-growing IT services company in Northern Europe, has committed to a further three-years of collaboration with Ahead Partnership to support young people through digital skills inclusion and gender inclusivity initiatives.

The two have worked together since 2021, with Netcompany having been an anchor sponsor of Ahead Partnership’s well-established Growing Talent Digital Leeds programme since its launch. Their continued work together will reach thousands more young people, helping them to discover rewarding career paths within the tech and digital sectors.

Through their collaboration, Netcompany will help to expand Ahead Partnership’s flagship Girl Tech programme. Both organisations are long established in their commitment to securing better gender inclusivity within digital.

Building on the established Girl Tech initiative in Leeds and Birmingham, young women within London, Manchester and Newcastle will now have the opportunity to take part in a series of events designed to drive greater gender inclusion within the tech and digital sectors.

Aimed at year 8 students, the Girl Tech programme encourages more young women to pursue careers in technology, providing them with access to a range of inspirational female role models working within tech and digital. This expansion closely follows the publication of a report by Kings College London, which found that the level of female participation in Computer Science GCSE had fallen by more than half in less than a decade.

After being launched in Leeds and London last year, and with plans for these to run again next year, the partnership expansion will also see Netcompany’s Smart Cities Challenge introduced in Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

 

This innovative challenge invites young people living in urban areas to understand how smart technology is used in cities, and how it can be better harnessed to create healthier and more sustainable places. Students from the participating schools will be challenged to design a smart city of the future, working with representatives from Netcompany to understand the positive impact that technology can have on their local environment.

Kate Watson, Social Value Lead at Netcompany UK said: “We have already seen significant growth in the ambitions and confidence of those young people that we have engaged through our work with Ahead Partnership, and have taken much inspiration from their ideas and creativity.

“Our partnership will allow us to build on the success of our longstanding collaboration, expanding into new regions across the country, strengthening our existing connections with young people and schools, and ultimately investing in the future of the wider sector.”

Suzie Bell, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership, said: “We are incredibly excited to be expanding the scope of our work with Netcompany, which will enable us to reach hundreds more young people across the UK, creating a more representative workforce within the tech sector, while also building a strong pipeline of future talent.

“We are so proud of the influence that Girl Tech has had on young women across the country, and this expansion signals significant growth for the initiative, and its participants alike. This investment marks a fantastic moment for both of our organisations, and we look forward to seeing the impact of our continued work together.”

To find out more about Ahead Partnership, visit: https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/.