Removing barriers to education & skills in technology
The Hg Foundation Partners with The Access Foundation to support Birkbeck, University of London to Boost Digital Skills Development
The Hg Foundation is delighted to announce its partnership with Birkbeck, University of London, a 200-year-old institution renowned for its commitment to lifelong learning and social mobility.
This collaboration aims to enhance the digital skills of Birkbeck's mature learners, preparing them for future employment opportunities in the digital and technology sectors. Birkbeck is the educational home to one of the most diverse communities of learners; 40% are from households with an income below £25,000, 78% are juggling studies with work and caring responsibilities, 48% of undergraduates are from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, and the average age of students is 35 years old.
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Our aim
Our vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background.
To achieve this, we help under-represented groups to access high quality jobs in tech by supporting education- and employment- based programmes across the UK, Europe and the US.
Our work is generously funded by Hg, through a portion of carried interest from current and future funds, and a percentage of annual profits.
Ambition
Delivery
Impact
To build a portfolio of world class programmes, through strategic partnerships with high quality, evidence-backed organisations which learn from one-another and amplify our collective impact.
Providing long term funding, operational support and advocacy – including through the expertise and assets of
Hg and its vast technology-based network.
Using data and analysis to understand the root causes of the problem - and clear metrics to track outcomes, assess impact and make the case for system-wide
scale-up.
The challenge
At all levels, and across the globe, there are significant skills shortages in the technology sector and an urgent need to re-skill the workforce for modern jobs.
At the same time, some groups – especially women and girls, those from low-income backgrounds and from certain ethnic groups – are far less likely to gain good tech qualifications and access tech jobs. This is both unfair and a significant waste of talent.
A range of factors influence these outcomes, from inequalities in education, through in-grained cultural issues, to differing levels of preparedness for the workplace. The Hg Foundations aims to work across all these fronts.
60%
of low-income pupils in England fail to gain basic maths skills by the age of 16
only 21%
of German school leavers choosing science and technology related pathways are women
only 1%
of employees at major tech firms are Black students despite comprising 6% of US Engineering and Computer Science graduates
2/3
of UK tech workforce are from the professional classes and 2/3 are male
Our partners
Our 2022 Impact Report is now available
Read about our partnerships and their impact on the development of education and skills for the technology sector two years on from The Hg Foundation’s launch