
Apple backs UK ‘Girls into Electronics’ programme
Apple is backing a UK programme to boost the number of women entering the electronics industry for a second year.
The ‘Girls into Electronics’ programme from the UK Electronics Skills Foundation in 2024 aims to address the gender imbalance in technology with backing from Apple. This comes ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8th.
The programme aims to enable girls to gain insight into Electronics in an effort to address the skills shortage, reduce the gender imbalance and encourage more talented women to enter and remain in the industry. This year, participants will be offered the opportunity to join Apple’s Mentorship Programme and connect with Apple engineers who can provide advice as they further their studies in Electronics.
The initiative is in its third year, and doubled last year. The aim for 2024 is to provide opportunities for hundreds of girls between the ages of 15 and 18 to be inspired by electronics. The Girls into Electronics programme will run across twelve partner universities this summer, including Bristol, King’s College London, Leeds, Southampton and Strathclyde. The Apple Mentorship Programme will run for 3 to 6 months starting this autumn.
“We are now seeing the positive impact of Girls into Electronics programme as more female students are starting Electronics degrees,” said Stewart Edmondson, CEO at UKESF. “The support from Apple has been invaluable and has enabled us to grow this vital programme and I’m delighted to continue our partnerships with the UK’s leading universities in 2024. Girls into Electronics is shining example of what can be achieved when we work together on skills challenges.”
“At Apple we deeply believe that technology helps expand what’s possible for learning, and are committed to providing access for all learners to have the chance and the tools to dream big and pursue opportunities,” said Mari-Anne Chiromo, Apple Inclusion and Diversity Partnerships Lead, EMEIA. “With our sponsorship of last year’s programme, UKESF saw record participation, and we hope to go beyond those numbers in 2024. At Apple, we are always looking for diverse engineering talent and this programme, plus our mentoring scheme, allows us to connect with future engineers.”
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“A strong Electronics and ‘deep tech’ industry is essential to the health of the UK economy, but we know the UK has a skills shortage in this critical sector,” said Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). “That’s why it’s great to see the work the UKESF is doing to encourage more young people to pursue careers as Electronics Engineers. In particular, their Girls into Electronics initiative has the potential to make a real difference, which we strongly support.”
The events will take place in June and July 2024. Schools, individual students and parents can register their interest via Girls into Electronics
