Together with Apple, the UK Electronics Skills Foundation has announced its 'Girls into Electronics' program. It's taking place over June and July later this year, and students can head over to the UKESF website to sign up and get involved.
The initiative aims to support 400 girls to learn more and get involved with the electronics sector. This looks to address the skills shortage and improve the gender imbalance in the industry.
More girls in electronics
The electronics industry is constantly growing and is pegged to be worth $136 billion by 2024. Demand for employable graduates, however, is currently overtaking supply, and UCAS figures in the UK show that only 3245 enrolled in degrees around Electronics and Electrical engineering in 2021. Of these, only 335 were women.
Fixing this imbalance and getting more people involved with electronics is the idea here, and universities all over the UK are getting involved. The Universities of Bristol, London, Leeds, Southampton, and Imperial College London are getting involved in the events.
On the scheme, CEO of EKESF says, "Many students touch upon Electronics in their Physics and Computer Science lessons at school, but the breadth, complexity, and importance of the field is often not fully understood. This initiative will ensure that more young people get to experience this fascinating and creative subject, and learn about the worthwhile opportunities available in Electronics Engineering."
Apple Inclusion and Diversity Partnerships Lead, Marie-Anne Chiromo, says of the program "We’re thrilled to be working with the UKESF on this important initiative, to encourage more women from all backgrounds to study electronic engineering and improve the current gender imbalance in the field.”
Given how few women there are working in the field, it's exciting to see an initiative looking to tip the scales a little more. It's not going to fix the issue overnight, but it's encouraging to see something being done by a company like Apple.
