Girl Tech Goes National:
Inspiring the Next Generation
of Women in Tech

This year marked a major milestone for our flagship Girl Tech programme, expanding nationally for the very first time across five locations in the UK. While Leeds and the West Midlands hosted their eighth editions of the programme, Girl Tech made its debut in London, Manchester, and the North East, expanding its reach to connect even more young women with role models in the world of digital and tech. 

With support from over 200 volunteers and 57 participating businesses, Girl Tech 2025 created a vibrant, hands-on experience that introduced young women aged 12-14 to the diverse career paths available in the digital and tech sectors. Timed to support students just before they make crucial decisions about their GCSE subjects, the programme aims to provide them with the insight and confidence needed to lay the foundations for a future career in tech. 

Thanks to sponsorship from Netcompany, this year’s programme was bigger and better than ever. Over 350 young people took part in the programme, hearing directly from role models across the industry and exploring the different routes into digital careers, from apprenticeships and university paths to coding bootcamps and career transitions.  

The digital sector is rapidly evolving, giving rise to a range of emerging job roles driven by advancements in technology. Positions within AI, machine learning engineers, data scientists, and prompt engineers are in high demand, reflecting a growing need to develop with these changes. With women taking up less than a third of the world’s workforce within the tech and digital industry, and girls only representing 22% of computing students, its clear there is more work to be done. But with exciting new roles emerging across the digital sector, involving young people early increases the chances they’ll build lasting careers in the field, even in roles that don’t exist yet! 

Alongside encouraging young women into more technical roles, Girl Tech also showcases the non-technical roles that are essential to the tech and digital sector to encourage all young women to find their place in a career that interests them. It also lays the foundation for the core employability skills needed in all roles across sectors.  

The results speak volumes with 89% of attendees leaving the event more interested in a career in digital and 95% saying they now have a better understanding of different pathways into the tech industry. 

But the benefits extend far beyond the students. Businesses and volunteers also stand to gain from taking part, whether it’s developing public speaking skills, engaging with fresh perspectives, or contributing to a more inclusive future workforce, the impact is mutual. 

• 98% of volunteers said they connected with an audience underrepresented in tech 

• 100% felt the experience supported their organisation’s ESG goals 

• ‘It was incredible to see so many young girls inspired and engaged in the possibilities tech offers for their future.’ – Volunteer, Channel 4  

• ‘It was great to get the opportunity to be able to explain and give knowledge of my roles to the next generation who may decide to pursue it as a career.’ – Volunteer – Wates Group  

The expansion of this year’s programme wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our headline sponsor, Netcompany and regional sponsors including Optum, Liberty Blume, Currys, Goldman Sachs, Sulzer and Zest and our venue hosts, Asda, Barclays Eagle Labs, SCC, University of Westminster and Home Group. Without collaboration from leading employers in the digital and tech sector, we couldn’t have such a deep and far-reaching impact on not only the young women who attend Girl Tech, but also the volunteers and teams who support the programme. 

As Girl Tech continues to grow, it’s helping to reshape the digital sector as a whole, making a more inclusive and innovative future in digital. 

Get in touch here to get involved with Girl Tech next year! > https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/girl-tech/