Leicester students set to make British tech industry more diverse

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 14 June 2022

UPDATED: 14 June 2022

Students in Leicester are set to help the UK Tech industry become the most diverse in Europe thanks to support from Colorintech, a non-profit organisation that aims to tackle the lack of role models and diversity in the tech industry.

The partnership with De Montfort University (DMU) will see Colorintech provide support and coaching for up to 250 students a year and be the link between them and global companies such as Microsoft, eBay, Salesforce, and Google.

Founded in 2016 by Dion McKenzie and Ashleigh Ainsley, Colorintech runs programs with some of the world’s largest Blue Chip Tech Companies to tackle the lack of role models and diverse representation in the industry that they saw while working in Silicon Valley and London. 

Colorintech collaborates with companies around the world to drive inclusion for entrepreneurs, career starters and working professionals and they are committed to tackling a careers attainment gap which sees unemployment for young black people standing >40% and is compounded by the fact that ethnic minorities account for just 3% of leadership roles in the tech workforce in the UK.

Co-founder Ashleigh said:

“De Montfort University has been a fundamental part of our story from day one and the growth of Colorintech, and we are thrilled to accelerate the depth of our work together.

“Our ambitions for DMU students know no bounds and increasingly we’re seeing further opportunities open up for them within our partners, community, and network. Having strategic leadership from the top not only underpins DMU’s ambition to further student outcomes for all groups but puts them at a significant place as one of the most innovative and progressive institutions in Europe.”

In addition to the coaching the partnership also includes:

• A set number of places reserved for DMU students on Colorintech’s training programmes
• Visits from Colorintech at on-campus and virtual careers events
• Inviting students to become part of Colorintech’s talent network
• Providing exclusive access to Google Digital Garage sessions

Through the programme students already have invites to the Microsoft Aspire programme, and DMU has hosted a webinar with Google executive Pedro Pina about diversity and inclusion at the web giant.

Mark Prescod, lecturer at DMU said

“Colorintech are the perfect match maker for DMU Students who seek a career with the company behind the apps they love and tech companies who see the benefit and the urgency to ensure their organisation is truly open to all. This partnership is key to our strategy of empowering students, staff and partners to create a fairer society.”

Current Colorintech Early Career partners include Microsoft, Google, Deepmind, eBay, and Salesforce.

 

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