Almost half (46%) of younger Millennial and Generation Z people in the UK believe it is too late for them to pursue a career in technology (NTN).
We understood that by providing young people aged 18-25 with a space to develop career skills in the tech industry we could reverse this statistic. So, in 2023 we launched the Step in 2 Tech programme.
Created in partnership with Clearwater International, the programme helps young people recognise their existing tech skills and develop them over 20 weeks of training sessions, 1-1 mentoring and employer site visits.
The pilot programme was launched back in September 2023. This January the first cohort of participants celebrated their graduation at Clearwater International’s central London offices.
Jo Daley, Director and Head of Impact and Mandy Allen, Impact Executive from Clearwater generously hosted the event and awarded all 18 graduates their certificates, before everyone tucked into a delicious pizza dinner. A few brave graduates even addressed the room to share their highlights.
One young woman named Shajida bravely shared: “It’s been great to be invited into a space where people who look like me can feel welcome.”
Inviting young people into corporate spaces is one way the programme inspires its participants. Clearwater’s team recognised the potential in this, inviting the cohort to its office on multiple occasions throughout the programme.
Jo shared: “Being able to support the graduates into opportunities that help them learn new skills and open doors is something we’re really proud of.”
Mandy added: “It’s been incredible to be part of everyone’s journey from start to finish. Supporting their growth into the next stages of their career has been incredible and we wish everyone the best of luck on the rest of their journey.”
The graduation was full of laughter and reflection on the past few months. The visit to Sky studios being a popular highlight for most!
Hearing such positive feedback reiterates the need for employment programmes such as Step In 2 Tech. Thank you to all the Clearwater team for making this programme possible, Dean and Ryan the Coach Mentors for designing and delivering the programme and all of the graduates who joined this journey with us!
On a final note, Ryan shared: “StepIn2Tech has been a great way in bringing young people across our programmes together to learn more about the tech world, get inspiration and source opportunities to pursue in the future.”
