Bringing STEM vocation awareness to the forefront and looking to encourage girls to pursue a career in regtech, Next Tech Girls, the social enterprise on a mission to improve the representation of women in the tech workforce, has partnered with regtech REGnosys.
Girls are less likely to study STEM subjects (64 per cent) at school than boys (83 per cent) according to PwC. Its research further shows this gender imbalance trend continues at university and at a career level: only three per cent of women have a tech career as a first choice. This is five times smaller than the number of men with it as their number one choice (15 per cent). One reason for this is a lack of information about what working in the sector involves. Meanwhile, another is girls aren’t encouraged to pursue a career in tech.
As a result, only 26 per cent of those working in the tech industry are women. However, Next Tech Girls is not sitting idly by. The organisation has provided over 3,000 tech-focused work experience opportunities to girls in the UK since 2016. It also makes an effort to include those from lower-income or ethnic minority backgrounds. Consequently, 96 per cent of placement participants have pursued a career in tech.
“Partnering with REGnosys represents another crucial milestone in our mission of breaking down barriers for girls and young women to embark on a career in tech.” – Emily Hall-Strutt, Next-Tech Girls
Impact in regtech
Every sector within the fintech industry needs to reevaluate what it can do to tackle gender imbalances, and this is exactly what REGnosys is doing in regtech. Acting by example, the firm has increased its number of women from zero to four since the start of 2022. But it isn’t stopping there. By partnering with Next Tech Girls, REGnosys looks to continue widening accessibility to careers in technology for girls and young women.
Commenting on the partnership, REGnosys chief executive and Founder, Leo Labeis said: “It is vital to acknowledge the hard truths about the issue of gender inequality in the tech industry to tackle the problem at its core.
“As a small, tech start-up, it has never been easy to offer the types of perks that are important in attracting and retaining women. However, by proactively working with recruiters to articulate our hiring drive and putting a referral programme in place, amongst other measures, we are proud to have made great strides in establishing more equal gender representation. Partnering with Next Tech Girls will support REGnosys on this journey, as we look to cement and bolster our long-term DEI drive.”
A culture that “reflects the needs and perspectives of everyone in society”
Emily Hall-Strutt, director of Next-Tech Girls, said: “Over the past year we’ve gone from strength to strength in inspiring the next generation of women in tech, organising placements for over 100 girls across the UK and engaging more than 2,500 through our online events which were launched last October.
“Partnering with REGnosys represents another crucial milestone in our mission of breaking down barriers for girls and young women to embark on a career in tech. As we look to expand our impact throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond, we’re excited to be working with REGnosys in fostering a culture where technology reflects the needs and perspectives of everyone in society.”
Francis Bignell
