Using hard data as a starting point, we explore the changing world of hybrid work. Guided by our own experiences of neurodivergence and disability, we debate how a more collaborative and accessible approach can drive efficiency across the public sector. In most cases we find that it can be done using technology that governments already possess.  

As a former policy advisor with hands-on experience of shaping equality legislation, these issues are all very close to my heart. 

Aligning leaders and teams to make hybrid work, work

The first episode of the Public Sector Podcast Series, season four, is The Future of Work – Facing the Hybrid Challenge. In it, Microsoft’s Henry Rex, industry advisor, and Rakhi Sachdeva, modern workplace specialist, discuss findings from the latest Work Trends Index report. The numbers reveal a significant disconnect between managers and teams around attitudes to remote working. 87 percent of remote employees reported feeling confident in their productivity at work, while only 12 percent of managers felt the same way about the performance of their remote teams.  

Managers can benefit from investing more trust in their teams and using soft skills to ensure that everyone gets access to the vision and culture of the organisation, which is key to productivity. Helping staff learn new skills ‘on the go’ improves both retention and productivity. We also discuss how a more flexible approach to work can empower individuals who have differing needs to be more effective. Building trust between management and staff enables everyone to align around the public service mission; as Henry Rex points out, people often join an organisation for the money, but stay there for the culture.

Neurodivergence and the innovation challenge

In episode two, Innovate Together, Microsoft account technology strategist, Andrew Boxall, talks about managing change in government and how it can enable staff to embrace more productive and collaborative ways of working. Along the way we discuss our shared experiences of being neurodiverse in the workplace, which provides insights into the challenges of data-driven innovation. 

Addressing bias and differing learning styles enables public servants to collaborate better across organisations. The Innovate Together initiative, supported by Microsoft, aims to accelerate innovation and best practice sharing across the public sector. Trailblazers like Norfolk County Council provide an inspirational example of how advanced techniques such as robotic process automation can drive efficiency.  

Success depends on leaders who set an example and have the initiative to share their learnings. All our guests agreed that making better use of existing tools is a great way to achieve incremental efficiency gains in government, and start building confidence. 

Extending accessibility and inclusion to drive productivity 

In episode three, Accessibility, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, I speak to Maria Grazia Zedda, senior EDI manager at HS2, who is severely deaf. Maria Grazia speaks movingly about overcoming the challenges of disability and hardship when she arrived in London as a young woman. London is also where she found support on her career path and discovered her vocation, improving accessibility in the workplace for everyone. These uplifting experiences are captured in her first novel which is to be published in her native Italy. 

Maria Grazia welcomes the adoption of new technologies that enhance accessibility and inclusion, such as minicoms and auto-captions (Live Captions in Microsoft Teams), the use of which was accelerated by remote working. The momentum now needs to be maintained so that inclusion becomes a fundamental principle of the workplace and the built environment. 

Explore episodes from our previous series 

Our previous three podcast series provide fascinating insights into how efficiency in the public sector could be improved with fresh thinking.  

Public Sector Podcast Series – Season One

In Public Sector Podcast Series – Season 1, guests discuss how citizen services can be enhanced using new digital technologies. Further episodes explore the challenges of managing security across government in a digital world, and overcoming the barriers to legacy estate reduction. Hindsight is also explored as a means of understanding past mistakes and improving government performance in the future.

Public Sector Podcast Series – Season Two

Public Sector Podcast Series – Season 2 builds on these themes, looking at how citizen identity in government can be managed simply and securely. The challenges of hybrid work, and the uses of geospatial data science in the context of the government’s levelling-up agenda, are also up for discussion. A highlight from series two is the episode that draws lessons from the Environment Agency’s experience of digital transformation. Cross-government data sharing also comes under scrutiny.

Public Sector Podcast Series – Season Three

Public Sector Podcast Series – Season 3 digs deeper into data sharing and how citizens engage with government. We assess the government’s Green agenda and the challenge of data literacy in driving innovation across the public sector. And what, we ask, do young people think about entering public service? We devote an episode to figuring out the changing face of apprenticeship in a hybrid world.

Find out more

Successful trial of the Microsoft and Socitm Change Agent programme

Our innovation – Norfolk County Council

Microsoft 365 Collaboration Blueprint for UK Government – Microsoft Industry Blogs – United Kingdom

How the public sector can streamline operations and innovate with intelligent automation – Microsoft Industry Blogs – United Kingdom

About the author

Aaron has worked at Microsoft as an industry advisor for central government for the last four years. Before that he spent twenty-five years in the public sector across a number of departments, in both central and local government, leading on technology policy and strategy. Most notably, he worked on the creation of the Equality Acts (2006 and 2010), the Public Sector Equality Duty and the translation of the EU Accessibility Regulations over to the UK. Outside of his day job, Aaron lectures on accessibility, inclusion and neurodiversity at local institutions and across the wider tech sector.

The post How to make government more effective in a hybrid world: podcast series appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

A recent study from Microsoft and the University of London assesses UK business competitiveness. The results suggest that innovation will be vital to enable the UK to better compete on a global stage.

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I believe one of the biggest innovations from this year could have the greatest potential to transform the way we all live and work and propel British businesses forward. This is remote and flexible working.

Use flexible working practices to drive innovation

The Tech Talent Charter has, since its inception, championed working practices that drive inclusion. In building a robust and representative tech workforce, we need to offer more equitable opportunities. UK tech suffers from a widely acknowledged skills shortage – a 2019 survey from CWJobs highlights that 45 percent of British companies are actively seeking staff with tech skills. But despite this, the tech industry in particular, lags when it comes to diversity of all kinds.

Many women say they are interested in a career in technology – Fawcett Society research in 2019 found that around 70 percent of young women would be interested, and 45 percent of working age women are willing to retrain for a technical role. However, female participation in tech hovers at around 17 percent, while other diversity measures tend to score even lower.

Part-time, flexible hours, or flexible working locations have long been recognised as key to attracting women to the tech workforce. Women tend to have more domestic responsibilities than men – a 2016 ONS survey found women shoulder 60 percent of ‘unpaid work’. This can mean a 9-5 office-based role can be impractical. By failing to offer flexible or remote working, women often feel they cannot align their career ambitions with the demands of the rest of their lives.

These are women who would otherwise return to the workplace with their many talents and experiences. They also bring that added dimension that drives innovation – diversity. This wasted talent is a significant loss to a business’s ability to compete and innovate.

The hybrid workplace

Until now, many companies have been reluctant to embrace remote and flexible working models. These decisions are often clouded by stereotypes or an outdated understanding of their employees’ expectations. Some have just been hesitant to innovate and embark on a major disruption to their working model.

2020 caused this to change.

Thousands of companies have had to enact a live trial of remote and flexible working, unplanned for, untested but utterly essential for their business continuity.

Even the most sceptical employer has learned that remote working not only works. They’ve discovered it is a vital part of their ability to competitively attract and retain the best talent. Microsoft’s research confirms this with 83 percent of UK managers revealing they expect to have more flexible and work from home policies moving forwards.

This shift holds immense potential for inclusion and diversity. Mounting research has demonstrated the impact of diversity on creativity and innovation (the World Economic Forum calls the business case for diversity ‘overwhelming’), and the UK’s economic growth will depend upon its ability to innovate and compete on a global stage.

Empowering employees

Remote working is not without its challenges. But what we have seen is that is it possible to do many more jobs remotely than was previously thought. Also, productivity tends to increase and not decrease. What’s more, employees have rapidly come around to the many advantages of being able to be based where they choose and not have to commute. It is not just women who stand to benefit from this new working set up.

Research from Timewise in 2018 shows that while 91 percent of women want flexibility, so do 84 percent of men, 92 percent of 18–34 year-olds and 88 percent of 35-54 year-olds. This is a wake-up call and a significant opportunity for the industry.

Companies who adapt to these new rules of play have the potential to recruit the best talent, regardless of location or even available working hours. This is a win-win situation. It’s something that will prove fundamental to the UK tech industry’s ability to address the skills gap and compete on a global stage.

Building competitiveness and innovation

This competitiveness is currently not a given. Microsoft and University of London research shows that 46 percent of UK firms fall into the least competitive quadrant of competitiveness. Clearly, we are facing a skills gap, and UK businesses need to eliminate barriers to finding talent.

The UK must reinvent itself. If we could show we retain our competitiveness in terms of innovation, talent and technology. We need to start to offer a new definition of what work is, where and when it happens. Then, we can begin to redefine our productivity as a nation.

And that can drive competitiveness and economic recovery – with a potential cumulative economic boost of £48.2 billion. Doing the right thing is no longer just the right thing, it is the smart business thing. Embracing the benefits of remote work to find and retain the best, most diverse talent pool will make a positive impact on the bottom line. It will also benefit the economic recovery of the whole country.

There has never been a more important time for the UK to take action.

Find out more

Download the economic recovery report

Start building the new world of work

Empower employees to drive innovation

Resources for your development team

Build an innovation roadmap with our Envisioning workshops 

About the author

Debbie Forster is an award-winning leader and a recognised figure in the areas of diversity, tech, innovation and education and was named by Computer Weekly as the Most Influential Woman in UK IT for 2019. She is co-founder and CEO for the Tech Talent Charter, an industry collective which aims to deliver greater inclusion and diversity in the UK tech workforce. As part of her wider portfolio, Debbie works as an executive coach and a consultant. She specialises in supporting start-ups, scale ups, SMEs and social enterprises. Debbie was awarded an MBE in January 2017 for ‘Services to Digital Technology and Tech Development’.

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) named Debbie Woman of the Year for 2016. Her work for the TTC was recognised by Women in IT awards 2018 for Diversity Initiative of the Year. She was awarded Women in IT Awards Diversity Leader of the Year 2019. Computer Weekly also named her Most Influential Woman in UK IT for 2019.

After 20 years working within education, Debbie joined e-skills UK, the national IT Sector Skills Council. There, she heads up their educational programmes, liaising with both policy makers and leaders in the IT industry. Debbie then became the Co-CEO of Apps for Good, an award-winning education charity. Debbie joined Apps for Good in 2010 and took the organisation through a period of exponential growth, from two centres in London to almost 1000 schools around the world; reaching 75,000 young people in just five years, with 50 percent of its students and 40 percent of its tech mentors being female.

The post How a diverse workforce can drive a culture of innovation appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

At the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Microsoft, our cybersecurity teams are made up of people with a huge variety of skills. It’s about more than just technical knowledge. Our teams are made up of communication experts, legal teams, project managers, and more. That’s why the security skills gap pulls through to a larger conversation about the digital skills gap as a whole.

Start building tech passion early

To fully address these skills gaps, the challenge starts with the education system. At the NCSC, we developed CyberFirst, a programme designed for 11-17 year olds with extracurricular learning paths, university and college courses, bursary schemes, and competitions to explore their passion for tech and introduce them to cybersecurity.

When we started these courses, the gender gap saw that for every three boys applying to these courses, only one girl applied. To ensure our workplaces reflect our diverse society, the NCSC worked to make sure the courses were 50-50. This led to the creation of the girl’s competition. At Microsoft, we run a similar programme called DigiGirlz, which gives girls a chance to see what a career in tech looks like, as well as building a passion for technology.

“You see passion and drive everywhere at these events. As a woman, you’re quite often the only woman in the room and it’s quite nice not to be. For that age, to be in a room and realise there are lots of people that have an interest in technology, that’s where the real passion is.”

–

Siân John

Working together to build cyber resilience

But this is all about partnership. We can’t each do it alone. The education system, the government and industry need to work together to build effective programmes. These will build passion for technology while providing the path to building cybersecurity skills and resilience.

So what steps can organisations take to drive cyber resilience and address the skills gap?

1.      Keep your data secure

Take a look at the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials. This government backed scheme is designed to help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyberattacks.

At Microsoft, we’ve shared our security journey. Take a look at our learnings and best practices of keeping our remote workforce secure. We’ve built a CISO on-demand workshop based on our and our customer’s learnings on meeting the challenge of a sophisticated security landscape while protecting your assets.

2.      Practise how you respond

Practise ‘live’ simulations that mimic an attack in real time. This is not only a more engaging way for employees to learn what happens during the detection, response and remediation of an attack, but you can also apply best practices before a real event occurs. Don’t just do this technically, think about the response for your whole business. What does the internal and external communications plan look like? What is the role of the data protection officer, the CEO, or the frontline employee?

3.      Be prepared to scale and have extra resources

You need to think creatively about your cybersecurity team and their resilience. They may respond well to threats for the first week, but after three or four weeks burnout becomes a real issue. While you’re looking to fill your cybersecurity skills gap, consider using intelligent technology to take on the common, fatigue-inducing alert and response tasks. Think of using AI and automation to do noise monitoring and low-level event handling, so that your employees have more time and less stress to investigate and remediate complex issues.

4.      Identify what skills you need

There are around 9/10 common specialisms for security. If you’re building them internally or looking at ways to optimise your cybersecurity recruitment, be clear about what skills you need. Start by looking at the skills you currently have and where you have specific gaps that you need to fill. Bear in mind that not all of these skills are needed internally. Consider how you might be able to leverage security skills from external sources too.

5.      Create the next generation of technical and cybersecurity talent

Finally, as we mentioned earlier, as business leaders we all have a responsibility to help create the next generation of cybersecurity talent. Consider starting local community outreach events to help build the skills and passion of our youth. You can even take advantage of industry placements and apprenticeships, opening your organisation up to new talent while nurturing their skills.

An opportunity to make the UK the safest place to live and work online

Microsoft is partnering with the Government’s National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Accelerator programme, to find and develop start-ups that can make the UK the safest place to live and work online. The 10-week programme is open now for applications. Participating start-ups are chosen through open competition using technical challenges provided by the NCSC. These challenges identify areas of cybersecurity weakness where new products are needed.

During the programme, start-ups receive commercial growth opportunities and unique access to NCSC’s and GCHQ’s world-class expertise to help develop their products. The programme is a collaboration between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the NCSC and Wayra (part of Telefonica).

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Find out more

Explore security learning paths

Empower a secure workforce

Optimise cybersecurity recruitment

About the authors

Chris has worked in cybersecurity for nearly 30 years in a variety of roles, all of which have involved building new capabilities to help organisations protect themselves. As Deputy Director for Cyber Skills and Growth, he is charged with developing the National Cyber Security Centre’s research, skills, and innovation expertise, to nurture the UK’s cyber security capability.

The post 5 steps to drive cyber resilience and address the security skills gap appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

All I was given was the opportunity to learn – so I took on the challenge! I want to inspire others that with the right mindset and passion, you can do whatever you want to do.

My background is quite varied. I studied art at college, was a groom, worked in retail then got into procurement for a variety of clients before I ended up being at Microsoft.

During my time in procurement, I got headhunted by a manager at Microsoft that I’d been working with for over a year. He’d seen me have the confidence in meetings to speak up. I also proved that I enjoyed a challenge – I had been given some difficult tasks from that team and managed to complete them with great success.

“Have you ever thought of being a Premier Field Engineer?” he asked whilst I was at a recruitment event Microsoft had put on. My initial response to him was one of shock. But I was also confused he’d asked because I had absolutely no background in technology – apart from a passion for Microsoft.

Building new skills and gaining confidence

I was helping bring in contractors with over 15 years of experience that could land in the role running, and here I was with none. He explained that Microsoft sometimes hired people who proved they could ramp up into the role.

Once I expressed my interest to take on this opportunity, we came up with a plan. Over the next 12 months I would study and show my ability to learn by passing a technical exam. I was also able to shadow a few of the engineers to see what I thought of the role.

After a year of working evenings and weekends building machines, running through labs, deploying devices, and understanding the technology to a deeper level, I was ready for my interview! I couldn’t believe it, but I got a job as a Premier Field Engineer. Within six months of ramp up in the role, I was out with Microsoft’s customers travelling around the UK and Europe delivering sessions and technical expertise all on my own.

I was really supported during the onboarding process. I was only put in front of customers when I felt ready and confident. Other businesses can learn from how Microsoft have supported re-skilling and upskilling employees into different roles. Giving people access to the right resources and education gives them more technical understanding. The opportunity to shadow others in the role and other roles gives them full visibility of the whole business and where they sit within it. Doing this helped me understand so much more where I fitted in. It also helps better understand the organisation’s values and gives them a sense of purpose inside the role and the team.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced is sitting exams. I find the whole exam process really tough – even if I know the answers. Microsoft managers have been really supportive and understanding during this which has helped my confidence in exams.

The gender gap in technology

From my previous role working in procurement for Microsoft hiring technical contractors, it became really apparent that there was a severe lack of women in the tech industry. All the applications coming through for the open positions were male. Great CVs, but there wasn’t much diversity in them.

I was invited to a few meetings with managers to discuss how we could bring more women into the roles, one question was “how do we make this job description friendlier for women?” Searching for the answer in my head, I couldn’t understand how you could make a job description like that.

It was then that I knew that the description wasn’t the problem. It was the lack of women looking for those jobs, especially in cybersecurity, or women who thought they didn’t have the right ‘qualifications’ for the role.

Two years into the Premier Field Engineer role and I could count the amount of women that I worked with at customer sites on one hand. I knew that I could help change this.

Using skills to open opportunity

In my Premier Field Engineer role, part of the technology that I was working with was IT security. Cybersecurity has always fascinated me. To learn more about it, I focussed my work around security with customers that I engaged.

After about a year in the role, I decided to speak to a manager in Microsoft about becoming a Security and Compliance Technical Specialist.

Again, I did find myself questioning if I would be successful in getting the role, as I didn’t have the experience like others who were already doing it.

However, I was given the opportunity to prove that I could learn and grow into it. I worked with the manager to ramp up the best I could, spending time with the team to learn more about the role. I successfully got through the interview about a year after that first discussion. It can take time to get the role that you want, but at least you know that you really are ready for it. Also, there was a lot of cross over from my other role which made the transition easier.

Since starting the new job, I’ve delivered a session at Ignite to a large audience on Azure Identity. I’ve also been actively working on ways to bring more women into cybersecurity roles.

I wouldn’t want anyone to not consider a role in security or a tech company because they don’t have the background or skills for the role. Soft skills can grow with practice and training. Technical skills can be learnt. It’s most important to have that drive and determination. Microsoft’s supportive approach and growth mindset will open opportunities up for you that you didn’t know were possible. It’s given me the trust that you can do anything you want to do, if you want it enough.

Find out more

Improve your cybersecurity skills

Join a Microsoft Training Day

About the author

Eli works at Microsoft as a Security and Compliance Technical Specialist.

She grew up in West Sussex by the South Downs, and spent a lot of time outside enjoying nature. Now, Eli lives in Surrey with her husband – who also works at Microsoft – and their rescue dog, Pippin and rescue cat called LP. She met her husband through a car club that they were both members of, you could say they are petrolheads. As well as diversity, she is also very passionate about sustainability.

The post How a learn-it-all culture creates more roles for women in cybersecurity appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

In the UK, only 22 percent of people working in STEM in 2019 are women. At Microsoft there are 29.7 percent of women in roles globally. This number has continued to grow each year as we focus on inclusive hiring practices and building programmes and support to close the gender gap.

For organisations, it can be tough to realise an unconscious bias. However, recognising this is just the first step. For women and girls, it can be tough to find real experiences from other women who are in a tech career or on the path.

Read about what we are doing to reduce the gender gap in technology and how you can learn best practices and tips to introduce a more diverse and inclusive culture.

Building digital and soft skills

Building digital skills and soft skills in students is important to futureproof their careers and build a confident, innovative workforce. Learn about some tips organisations and schools can use to drive positive reinforcement of these skills and raise the interest of tech roles for girls.

Celebrating women in technology 

Female leaders who have each founded a tech start-up using AI to create positive social impact, discuss their experiences of being a female leader.

3 skills to position female founders for success

By Alissa Warne

Only one in three entrepreneurs in the UK are female. Discover three skills female founders say were their keys to success.

Read more

Another one bites the dust: How schools can improve the digital skills gender gap

By Georgina Bowis

As talent acquisition lead, Georgina talks about the difficulties of attracting women to STEM roles and what schools should do to improve the skills gender gap in the workforce of the future.

Read more

11 Years Old and Running Coding Workshops for Girls – Meet Avye

Meet Avye, an 11 year old with a passion for coding. Find out how to build digital skills and a passion for STEM in girls, and learn about how Avye is leading the pack with her own coding workshops.

Read more

Unleashing student potential: learnings from my own journey

By Miloni Patel

Miloni leads the Cloud Technical team that helps schools and educational institutions across the UK and Europe realise the potential of the cloud. Discover her path to STEM and her tips for empowering students.

Read more

Read more

Early-in-career perspective

Read about how our female early-in-career employees and apprentices are driving the positive representation of women in tech and learn about how a manager can help these employees reach success.

A day in the life of a Cloud Solution Architect

By Holly Manley

Holly is a Cloud Solution Architect apprentice in Microsoft. Learn about a day in her life and the work she has done promoting tech careers to female university undergraduates.

Read more

5 steps to deliver a great apprenticeship experience: a manager’s guide to success

By Gillian Banks

Gillian shares some tips to managers get the best from their apprentice and grow them into fantastic employees.

Read more

Microsoft culture from an early-in-career perspective

By Alisha Agarwal

Alisha shares her experience at Microsoft and how its commitment to a diverse and inclusive culture is shown through their ‘come as you are’ values.

Read more

Culture and encouraging diversity and inclusion

The most important part of an organisation is the culture. Discover the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce and how employees can be empowered to take their own wellbeing in their hands.

In conversation: How to remove the barriers for women in tech

By Kristina Michalsky and Anjana Srinivasan

Join Kristina and Anjana as they discuss how organisations can improve diversity, including gender diversity throughout the business.

Read more

Empowering women in tech to create diverse and inclusive cultures

By Joanne Gilhooley

Joanne talks about how organisations can have more diverse, innovative, and happier cultures by reducing the gender gap and encouraging women in tech.

Read more

Investing in your talent: the journey to a diverse and inclusive workforce

By Sarah Hicks

Discover how investing in your employees diversity and inclusion builds a more innovative, productive, and profitable organisation.

Read more

7 tips on managing mental well-being in the modern workplace

By Angela Bos

Empowering employees to take control of their mental wellbeing is important for a productive and happy workforce. Angela gives us some tips on using technology to help manage stress.

Read more

How to find your voice in business

By Eve Joseph

Eve speaks to three female entrepreneurs on their tips and tricks to help build confidence and offer inspiration.

Read more

The post How to close the gender gap in technology appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2020, two women who work at Microsoft – Kristina Michalsky, General Manager of Consumer Device Sales and Anjana Srinivasan, Device Sales Lead got together to explore their career paths and views on women in technology.

About the authors

Kristina works as the general manager for the consumer and devices division at Microsoft UK and Ireland. Joining Microsoft in 2005, Kristina is particularly passionate about building and leading diverse teams with a particular focus on learning and personal development.

Anjana works as the Device Sales Lead at Microsoft. Joining the company in January 2019, Anjana has worked across the globe in positions in India, the United States and the UK. A true creative – Anjana enjoys build innovative compaigns whilst building and mentoring her team ensuring that everyone is energised to do their best work!

The post In conversation: How to remove the barriers for women in tech appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

That’s 45 years of progress, change, diversity of thought and inclusion to celebrate, from the start!

Having worked in a number of technology organisations for over 15 years, I’ve personally experienced an industry sector that is relatively progressive in terms of driving equality, diversity of thought and inclusive behaviours in the approach to talent acquisition and retention. But it’s not perfect and there is still a long way to go.

According to a 2019 women in technology study, the current stats aren’t particularly optimistic. One in six technology specialists in the UK are listed as women. Only one in ten of those filling IT leadership roles.

The numbers don’t paint an overly optimistic picture on their own. However, there are a number of initiatives and movements around the world that continue to gain momentum. These are absolutely positive steps forward for the industry as a whole. These range from championing women in tech to driving grass-roots initiatives to attract female talent into STEM positions.

I’m hopeful that this growing progress will continue to evolve to readdress the balance in the future. Both in the near-term and for future generations when they enter the world of work.

I was excited and humbled to see the latest non-profit company founded by Melinda Gates announcing the launch of a $50 million project to influence tech hubs in the US to become more inclusive places for women. The initiative, named GET Cities, has pledged to build more inclusive workplaces that demonstrate the value of gender equality in the tech sector. Hopefully this type of activity in the US helps further initiatives in all corners of the world so that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed.

Reflecting on this personally, it’s got me thinking about the magic of celebrating women in the workplace. I’d like to celebrate all diversity and equality across all genders, creed, race, and affiliations. I’ve been lucky to build and lead a number of diverse teams during my working life.

I’ve witnessed both amazing women and men balance demanding roles with the pressures and challenges of their personal and family lives. I believe that every individual has a unique skillset with a particular set of characteristics and experiences. By getting the right balance of these areas, it helps to make good teams great.

We need organisations around the world to continue to pledge to making equal and diverse workplaces. Empowering people and leveraging technology, where possible, to drive flexible, inclusive, accessible environments. These environments encourage employees to learning new skills and do their best work.

Microsoft has a simple mission: To empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. So, kudos to the amazing women who I work with throughout my career, but also the men too.

I’m hoping to do my part to empower every person I work with every day to strive for progressive, inclusive, and equal workplaces now and for our future generations. Here’s hoping the next 45 years helps to further bridge the gap!

About the author

Joanne works as the Marketing Director in the UK where she builds and leads a team of commercial marketeers. Joining Microsoft in September 2018, she focusses on building conversations within the UK market on hybrid-cloud platforms such as Azure, AI, and cybersecurity amongst others.

The post Empowering women in tech to create diverse and inclusive cultures appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

In 2017, only 27 percent of females say they would consider a career in technology. This means that every industry is missing out on a wealth of incredible talent.

As part of our efforts to tackle this gender gap in technology roles, we host groups of 13-year-old girls in the Microsoft offices for a fun and inspiring day packed with practical activities. This enrichment opportunity is called DigiGirlz.

Based on our research about girls and STEM, we have designed a DigiGirlz event day for 12-13 year old girls. This is a critical age to target as it is around this time that many girls can lose interest in STEM subjects and opt out of studying subjects such as computer science. DigiGirlz allows them connect with technology as a tool to improve lives, meet women in technology careers, and to imagine themselves working with technology to build a brighter future.

Currently 16 percent of first-degree undergraduate computer science students are women. Despite the overall number of computer science students increasing year-on-year, the gender gap remains.

DigiGirlz event days are full of energy from the girls and also the Microsoft volunteers. The programme has been running for a number of years. Currently, myself and a team of seven other interns have the responsibility of ensuring it is a valuable and enjoyable event for the girls who come, be thoughtful in what we do and ensure volunteers leave satisfied.

I was once a young girl who enjoyed technology and ICT. I never considered that it would be possible for me to study a subject like computer science because I thought that I wasn’t capable of doing so and that I wouldn’t fit in a class full of boys. Looking back, I wish I had the confidence to take a step out of my comfort zone. Being closely involved in the DigiGirlz programme over the past six months has been eye opening for me. The level of careful thought and design that is needed to run a DigiGirlz event has struck me, and I wanted to share some of the key ingredients.

1.      Create a collaborative environment

DigiGirlz participants gain an incredible amount of value from the day by working together, building a solution as a team, and hearing each other’s ideas. It’s by creating a safe, collaborative environment that they have the room to express interest and enthusiasm for technology.

At DigiGirlz events, we encourage girls to talk to each other and brainstorm their ideas. We also create an environment where they are confident to ask questions in front of the whole room, when one girl sees it is ok to do this, the others follow. This leads to rich and inclusive discussions.

2.      Build diversity into the day

It’s critical that all girls see technology as an option for them.  The girls need to be able to see themselves in the people around them, as it’s hard to be what you can’t see.  Our research shows that young women in the UK are more likely to choose STEM subject if they have a role model they can relate to. This means we have to thoughtfully select our volunteers- they don’t all need to be women, it’s important to have a broad and diverse group. These key contributors on the day will be role models for the girls and it is imperative that everyone feels included and empowered.

3.      Make it practical

The hands-on activities that take place during the day involve the girls in creating, prototyping and collaborating, and some even code. This year we introduced PowerApps to our DigiGirlz event, asking the girls to build their own apps on the themes of wellbeing, revision, and sustainability. While setting a theme can help the girls start thinking. Make sure to give them space to innovate and be creative – their ideas will impress.

4.      Be ready for anything!

These girls are capable of anything. You will be surprised how creative some of their ideas will be. Try to avoid placing too many limits on their creativity. Encourage volunteers to empower girls to be confident with their thoughts and that no idea is a silly one. I promise you will be shocked by their knowledge and creativity at such a young age.

5.      Connecting with purpose

Even though these girls are young, they will have strong, informed opinions. Especially on topics like climate change, accessibility, and mental wellbeing. Using themes like this enables them to think about and understand that technology can be used for good, to make a difference.

Empower them with the knowledge that they can make a real impact with some of their ideas – to be inspired by what technology enables them to do. Encourage the girls to share their experience when they return to school. They might present their idea in an assembly or give a talk on future technology to their peers. By showcasing their limitless potential, they can inspire others.

Focus on the experience they have, not the output they create

We are trying to bust myths and instill the passion and confidence to take a subject like computer science. Some girls may be discouraged by people around them or feel out of place in a class. Providing them with a clear understanding of the possibilities and potential may help them to ‘swim against the stream’ in that situation.

There are over 200,000 12-13-year-old girls in England. Our DigiGirlz programme currently reaches around 600 girls each year. We know that there are many other people and organisations that share our passion for inspiring girls about STEM. It has been invaluable for us to learn from many other experts. We hope that by sharing our learnings we can help and encourage others in this important endeavor.

For any schools who are interested in attending a DigiGirlz event, please keep an eye out on the DigiGirlz website. Our next event is taking place on April 2 at the flagship Microsoft Store in London – register your interest here! We also have events planned for Manchester and Reading in early summer.

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About the author

I am a Marketing Communications Intern in Microsoft UK’s legal team, taking a year out of my degree studying at the University of Bath. I manage all aspects of the legal team’s robust customer outreach (from the communications and logistics to the materials and pre-briefings) on a range of legal topics including data protection, security, AI and Ethics, Microsoft’s Online Services Terms and legal tech productivity.  As part of my Intern stretch project, I am the Communications Lead for DigiGirlz and am passionate about women in tech.

The post 5 things I have learnt about girls and tech appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

In July, I began a new role at Microsoft, which has meant that I have spent most of the summer feeling like the new girl at school.

It can be an unsettling feeling, after a long time knowing exactly what to do in almost every situation, to suddenly feeling that you know very little. Almost nothing makes sense and you’re quite unsure of where you can add value.

It is, however, also incredibly exciting (not to mention quite tiring!) to spend most of every day learning.

Be a learn-it-all not a know-it-all

Microsoft’s embrace a ‘learn-it-all’ culture – as opposed to a ‘know-it-all’ – encourages everyone to regularly take time out of our working week to learn something new, and experiment with innovative ideas.

We know these might fail. But even in failure, we’ll have learnt something. Whilst we have been living this growth mindset culture for some years now, it’s rare that we get the opportunity to be immersed in learning almost all the time.

Whilst most of us in the Western world have been fortunate enough to have access to education, globally, it remains out of reach for 72 million children – 54% of them girls. These girls can only dream of the most basic education, let alone worrying about ‘upskilling for the future’.

But upskilling for the future is essential if we’re to harness the value that technology offers us. Already, we’re beginning to see how technology like digital whiteboards is transforming the classroom experience. I have colleagues working to improve education from the ground up in remote areas. And, in my extended role as Vice-Chair of the Women@Microsoft UK board, I’m proud to be able to help introduce new learning opportunities to women here in the UK, both inside and outside Microsoft.

Introducing Data Science bootcamps

I’m not only passionate about encouraging personal development in others. Here at Microsoft, I’m privileged to be able to continue my own learning journey.

The Internet of Things is one area I’ve focused on, learning about the technical aspects behind this incredible, transformative technology. Not only that, I’ve written my very first machine learning model, taken a neuroscience leadership course, and have completed the second module of my Social Psychology degree.

Not everyone has access to these learning opportunities. I wanted to bring some of them to women across the UK – and that idea led us to our Data Science Bootcamps. Launched on International Women’s Day, these bootcamps were designed to give women a first step into the world of data science. I did this for two reasons: I wanted to bring the learning from the inside out, and also there are simply not enough data scientists in the UK for us to really leverage the data-driven world we now live in.

We held nine bootcamps across eight locations. 660 women applied for positions. With only room for 100, we accepted 120, expecting a drop out, and 96 turned up. Of the 96 people that attended, 52 have completed at least their first certificate in Microsoft’s online data science course. Some have gone on to complete many more, and are well on their way to their first qualification in the subject.

Of course, there’s a lot more to data science than an online course of 10 modules, but this gives learners the basics from which to build.

As Maggie Woodward, who attended the Glasgow bootcamp, hosted by our partner, Incremental Group told us:

‘Although this module, and the rest that make up the Microsoft certification in Data Science, can be studied online, it was far more beneficial to attend this bootcamp to learn and share with like-minded peers, as well as hear the experiences of senior women in the field of data science. The staff and office at Incremental were very welcoming, and although we covered a lot, it didn’t feel rushed. It was great to get the certificate of completion, and a proud addition to my CPD. Best of all, a few months after attending, my employer advertised an opportunity for a Graduate Apprenticeship in Data Science. Armed with my learning from the bootcamp, as well as the industry knowledge from our hosts, I created a strong application that was accepted. I’m looking forward to starting my degree this September.’

Skilling up for the future

Our ultimate goal with these bootcamps is to enable women returning to work, or transferring from other fields, to learn a new skill, and find a new role somewhere in the world of tech.

While these positions exist at Microsoft HQ, working with our partners means those attending the events could look for local work in these fields. Whilst the women who attended these events have been busy continuing their studies at home, we’ve been planning a series of ‘Careers Fairs’ with each of the partners that hosted an event. This gives them an opportunity to re-engage with their host partner, understand more about potential available roles, get CV tips and advice, and generally set themselves up to pursue a career in data science.

Our initial Data Science Bootcamps were very much a pilot scheme. We’ve learnt so much from these events – because, after all, we do see every experience as an opportunity to learn – and we’re now keen to give even more women a boost in the tech world.

If you like the sound of exploring data science and would be interested in attending a future bootcamp, email womenindatascience@microsoft.com.

Until the next bootcamp, I’m going back to an online course learning more about IoT Edge and Azure Sphere. I hope you have the opportunity to learn something today, this week or this month. If you don’t know where to start, Microsoft Learn is a great first step!

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About the author

Ella is a business development manager for IoT at Microsoft EMEA, where she also enjoys an additional role as Vice-Chair of the Women @ Microsoft UK board. Working in technology, Ella spent a lot of time in the early part of her career being the only woman in the room. Determined to re-address the balance in any way she can, Ella is passionate about creating inclusive environments, harnessing the power of both genders, and inspiring the next generation into technology. She is a STEM Ambassador and a Modern Muse. 

The post The joy of learning: How our data science bootcamps empower women appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

“I’m not going to take GCSE Computer Science anymore,” said my 14 (going on 21) year old daughter.  She’s a YouTube junkie, Overwatch fanatic and – since seeing Bohemian Rhapsody – a Queen superfan. I tried hard to hide the look of disappointment on my face as I asked her why.

I work as Talent Acquisition Lead for Microsoft in Middle East and Africa, and formerly for the UK, too. So, I spend my days working with my team to hire technical talent, while trying to ensure that we attract a healthy proportion of females into the recruiting process – and it is tough. In the UK, a recent PWC research study found that only 15% of people working in STEM in UK roles were female; only 3% of females said a career in technology was their first choice.

Don’t stop me now

Don’t get me wrong, although I’d love my daughter to turbo-charge her digital skills, getting deeply into artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data science, she made it clear that this was not the path for her. But surely continuing to study Computer Science to GCSE level, or A-Level at a push, wasn’t too much to expect?

We know that the gender gap in digital skills starts at school. Females make up just 10% of A-Level computer science students, which in turn has a major impact on the pipeline of talent going into the technology industry. So challenging is the issue that the UK government has just announced investment in an initiative aimed at tackling this problem. In April 2019, the ‘Gender Balance in Computing’ research project received £2.4 million of funding from the Department of Education to trial a number of schemes aimed at improving girls’ participation in computing.

Having been at Microsoft for 19 happy years, my daughter also started at Microsoft (at the workplace nursery) when she was a year old. She’s since spent a fair bit of time during school holidays with me in our family friendly office, drawing on the walls (it’s allowed, I promise), playing on the Xboxes, shooting some pool, playing on the indoor swings (yes, really), and periodically making the most of the Christmas parties or holiday ‘learn-to-code’ events. She had access to lots of role models and the awesome roles in an amazing office environment. And similarly, she wasn’t put off by any gender imbalance in the classroom; she goes to an all-girls school.

Two of the commonly cited reasons for this gender disparity are a lack of role models and lack of knowledge around the great career opportunities. So, which of these was it that put off my daughter? It was neither.

Another one bites the dust

The reason that she’s dropping Computer Science is shockingly simple. As a keen musician, singer, performer and – as I mentioned – Queen fan, when her school’s timetabling wouldn’t permit students to take the combination of Music GCSE with Computer Science GCSE, her mind was made up. You could combine Computer Science with any other subject, just not Music. Simple as that.

Students are advised, in the school ‘exam options’ booklet, that “for a balanced curriculum you should choose one arts subject (art, drama, music),  a humanities subject (business, geography, history) and a technology subject (cooking and nutrition or Graphics).”   

Back in 2013, an Institute of Physics report entitled ’Closing Doors’ shows that the majority of schools fail to encourage subject choices in a gender neutral way, which narrows children’s choices.   The timetabling issue along with the school options booklet are classic examples of this; sending a subtle but effective message steering girls away from the subject. A perfectly logical combination of subjects becomes unusual, impossible, against the norm. And leading the technology list with Cooking and no mention of Computing, really?

I want to break free

If we’re serious about closing the digital skills gap for girls, then tech companies like Microsoft need to take the lead. We need to promote programs drawing more women into the sector. This is the next generation workforce. They’ll be sorely missed if schools and businesses don’t start encouraging them right now. They must offer better visibility to role models and the great range of STEM careers available. Such innovations include Microsoft’s DigiGirlz initiative for secondary school pupils, the Codess community, and our Women Think Next networking events.

At the same time, schools should remove each and every blocker to girls gaining digital skills and studying STEM subjects, especially Computer Science. All the role models in the world won’t help if a simple scheduling issue or a clumsily written booklet closes the door. In this case, it did for more than one female student.

Raising the issue, my daughter’s school quickly responded, acknowledging the feedback, promising to remediate for next year. They even invited me to deliver some careers sessions.

My daughter loves school. She’s getting a wonderful education with teachers who do an amazing job every day. She’s still pursuing other STEM subjects,  aspiring to a career in science and particularly Astronomy. And who is her new role model? None other than PhD Astronomer and Queen guitarist, Brian May. Don’t stop her now.

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Empower the young people of today to create the world of tomorrow

About the author

Georgina is Head of Talent Acquisition for Middle East and Africa, with nearly 20 years’ service at Microsoft. She’s focused on managing the recruiting teams across the MEA region, recruiting talent primarily for the sales and marketing, and services organisations. Prior to moving into recruitment, Georgina was a leader in the Microsoft Services team, managing the delivery of professional services to Microsoft’s Premier Support customers. She’s passionate about coaching and developing individuals to achieve their potential, with an interest in diversity and inclusion. Georgina is based in the UK with her husband, two children and three stepchildren.

The post Another one bites the dust: How schools can improve the digital skills gender gap appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.