Women of tech given leg up

While females in gaming are often considered a rarity despite the fact that their number is steadily growing and beginning to rival that of their male counterparts, females in technology fields are still a rarer find.  However now a new graduate scheme programme is being launched by Entrepreneur First, that aims to get more women into the technology field.

Set to begin in mid-2013, the course will offer 30 graduates lessons on coding and programming, which the organisation hopes will spark a new interest in some of the women. Granted 30 is quite a small number, but it's likely that if the scheme is successful, it will be repeated and expanded.

“It is no secret that there is a lack of female participation in the technology industry and, for many young women, a lack of basic programming expertise can put them off entering the exciting world of tech startups,” said COO of Entrepreneur First Alice Bentinck (via Wired). “You don't need a degree in computer science or ten years of coding experience to build a technology business; you just need to be smart, creative, hard-working and willing to learn. By giving ambitious, talented female graduates a strong grounding in the language of their technical peers we want to bring more women into the UK startup scene.”

Named Code First: Girls, the course will provide four hours of tuition per week, mixing up lectures, tutorials and hands on experience with basic coding, as well as discussing different languages and how it all works behind the scenes.

Those involved with the setup of the course believe that getting more women into technology focused positions, will make the profession seem more accessible and comfortable to other women, creating a knock on effect.

KitGuru Says: Any female KitGuru readers like the sound of this? Sound off below.

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