International Women’s Day: Recognising the Women…

International Women’s Day: Recognising the Women Shaping the Tech Industry Gold Community

For more than a century, International Women’s Day has been a moment to recognise progress, reflect on challenges, and celebrate the collective effort required to advance gender equality.

In 2026, International Women’s Day marks115 years since its first global observance, a reminder that meaningful progress is rarely achieved by one organisation or individual alone. It is the result of communities working together to create change.

At techskills, we see that community in action throughTech Industry Gold.A community supporting the next generation of tech talent

Tech Industry Gold brings together employers, educators and industry leaders to strengthen pathways into technology careers.

Across the UK, accredited universities, apprenticeship providers and training organisations are developing the software engineers, cybersecurity specialists, data professionals and digital leaders who will shape the country’s digital future.

Today, the Tech Industry Gold network includes34 accredited learning providers, delivering54 accredited programmes and supporting a learner population of4,612 students across accredited courses.

Alongside academic learning,industry enrichment remains a defining part of the Tech Industry Gold experience.

During the2024/25 academic year, techskills delivered155 enrichment activities involving 107 employer partners, bringing industry insight directly into the learner experience. Of these,104 were bespoke enrichments, the largest proportion focused on industry insight talks and employer-led content.

These experiences give learners the opportunity to connect theory with practice, understand emerging technologies and explore the diverse career pathways available within the technology sector.Recognising the women who strengthen this ecosystem

This International Women’s Day, techskills is recognising thewomen identifying voices who contribute to the Tech Industry Gold community.

Our accompanying word cloud brings together245 women identifying voices from across employers, third-party organisations and key stakeholders, alongside key contacts within our network of accredited learning providers.

This recognition also extends beyond the word cloud to the women across thetechskills team and the widertechUK network, whose leadership and advocacy continue to strengthen the UK’s digital skills ecosystem.

Across this community, women contribute in many ways:

Serving on Tech Industry Gold accreditation panels
Contributing to the Employer Advisory Board, now 32 members strong
Delivering enrichment activity and industry insight
Mentoring learners and apprentices
Championing inclusive pathways into technology careers

Together, these contributions strengthen the bridge betweeneducation and industry, ensuring learners are equipped not only with knowledge but with the context and connections needed to succeed in the workplace.The themes emerging from women across the community

Recent conversations with women across the Tech Industry Gold**There is no single route into technology: **The journeys represented across the community reflect the diversity of modern tech careers.

Some professionals began in law before discovering software development. Others transitioned from healthcare into digital health and informatics. Many entered the sector through apprenticeships rather than traditional university routes. Others built their careers through operational roles before moving into leadership positions.

These stories demonstrate that technology is not a narrow discipline. It is a dynamic and evolving field withmultiple pathways into meaningful careers.**Confidence grows through opportunity: **Many of the women we spoke to reflected on early uncertainty in their careers.

Confidence, they explained, rarely appeared overnight. Instead, it developed through exposure to real projects, supportive mentors, collaborative teams and opportunities to take ownership of meaningful work.

Programmes that combineindustry engagement, workplace experience and academic learning play a critical role in building that confidence for the next generation.**Representation must go beyond visibility: **Representation remains a critical issue across the technology sector.

According toUK Government data, women currently representaround 21% of the UK technology workforce.

While progress has been made, the data highlights the continued need to broaden access and support progression within the industry.

Meaningful representation goes beyond visibility alone. It requires women to be present in positions where they caninfluence standards, shape policy discussions, mentor future talent and lead innovation.

Across the Tech Industry Gold community, women are doing exactly that.Advocacy has always been part of the story

Championing women in technology has long been part of techskills’ mission.

One of the original ambitions behind theITMB (Information Technology Management for Business) degree was to broaden participation in technology careers and attract more women into the sector by designing programmes that combine technical understanding with business context and industry engagement.

Today, that same philosophy continues throughTech Industry Gold accreditation, where employer voice, real-world learning and collaboration remain central to programme design.

Members of the techskills community and governance structures also support wider initiatives which works to inspire and educate young people, particularly girls, about careers in technology.Spotlighting voices across the Tech Industry Gold community

International Women’s Day is also an opportunity to amplify the voices shaping the Tech Industry Gold ecosystem.

Over the coming weeks, techskills will bespotlighting women identifying voices from across the Tech Industry Gold community, including employer leaders, educators, industry experts and learners.

Through a series of profiles and conversations, we will share the journeys, insights and experiences of women working across the technology sector, highlighting the diverse pathways into tech and the impact these voices have on shaping the future workforce.

These stories reinforce a powerful message:**there is no single route into technology, and representation matters most when women are not only entering the sector but helping to define it.**A collective thank you

This International Women’s Day, we want to thank the women whose expertise, leadership and advocacy continue to shape the Tech Industry Gold community.

To those contributing to accreditation panels.

To those shaping employer advisory discussions.

To those delivering enrichment activities and industry insight.

To those mentoring learners and apprentices.

To the women across techskills and the wider techUK network who champion digital skills and inclusive opportunity.

And to every woman whose name appears in our International Women’s Day word cloud.

Your contributions help ensure the next generation of technologists enters a sector that ismore connected, more inclusive and better prepared for the future.