Overcoming tech career barriers faced by underrepresented groups
Many people from underrepresented groups find difficulties in entering the tech sector – experts attending the 2025 Computer Weekly diversity in tech event, in partnership with Harvey Nash, offered advice for dismantling these barriers
Conversations around diversity in the UK’s technology sector have evolved over the past decade, from a focus on increasing the number of women in tech roles to the importance of making the sector an inclusive place for anyone to work.
Unfortunately, the numbers do not reflect the effort made. The past 10 years have seen the number of women in the UK’s tech sector creep up from 16% in 2015 to 22% in 2025, and black women still only account for 0.6% of people in tech roles.
There are countless reasons for this, including a lack of inclusive culture in the sector, limited visibility of career role models, insufficient flexibility in the workplace and misconceptions about the type of people who work in tech roles, along with the influence of unconscious bias.
Furthermore, the recent Lovelace report found that between 40,000 and 60,000 women are leaving digital roles each year, whether for other tech roles or to leave tech for good, with a quarter citing the reason as an absence of opportunities to advance their career in their current roles.
“We are seeing this happening across the industry – that’s what all the data indicates to us – and at every stage of a woman’s career. So we have to acknowledge that we are dealing with a systemic problem across the whole piece,” said Karen Blake, tech inclusion strategist and co-author of the Lovelace report.
The “becoming influential” theme of the 2025 Computer Weekly diversity in tech event, in partnership with Harvey Nash, highlighted a goal that many from underrepresented groups struggle to achieve due to industry challenges.
To tackle this, audience members comprising tech decision-makers and experts in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) field shared advice on how tech career pathways can be changed to allow more underrepresented groups to move into the industry and make their way to becoming influential.
Focus on planting the seeds early
Start early with girls, and deliver a curriculum they feel part of
Children’s first exposure to various careers often happens at school, yet many feel technology is not accessible to them.
Several experts at the Computer Weekly and Harvey Nash event claimed education reform could be a key factor in ensuring young women and minorities are more likely to view a tech career as a path they want to follow.
The first piece of advice given was to ensure the curriculum is built in a way that makes everyone feel they can participate. For example, by including women and people of colour among the figures from computing history studied, as well as emphasising that not all tech roles require coding skills.
In many cases, girls and women develop an interest in technology because it solves real-world problems, so it would also be helpful if lessons included case studies of the applications of technology across a range of roles and sectors, and utilised the inquisitive nature of children by including fun and exciting examples of what the day-to-day role of different tech workers looks like.
A lack of knowledge about what tech roles involve is known to lead to misconceptions among young people about tech jobs and the type of person who pursues them, so experts in attendance also conveyed how important it is to make sure children know what pathways there are into technology.
As pointed out by one audience member, there isn’t currently a single dedicated pathway into tech, and unlike other well-known professions, such as becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant, there are many different ways to become a tech professional, partly because the industry evolves so quickly.
Helping young people understand that there are many different routes into the sector and roles within it, and what those might look like, including the fact these roles may not necessarily be technical or involve coding, may contribute to more young people from a variety of backgrounds considering a tech career.
Having the right skills to engage in these roles, however, can be dependent on what school a child attends and where in the UK they come from, so curriculum reform to equip children with at least basic digital skills, regardless of where they are from, would be a welcome step forward.
Alongside this, experts recommended developing skills frameworks within businesses to map career pathways for employees, regardless of their background. Such an approach could help hiring managers identify existing skills, select candidates effectively and prioritise internal training to address skill gaps instead of hiring externally.
With such a large number of women claiming to have “fallen into” tech, experts also suggested that dedicated pathways could encourage underrepresented groups to intentionally pursue and thrive in tech careers, rather than stumbling into roles and leaving due to a lack of inclusion or advancement opportunities.
Individual efforts
Diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance
The way the technology sector has worked for years is that hiring managers – predominantly white men – hire people they already know or those who they identify with, perpetuating unconscious bias in the sector.
One way in which underrepresented individuals can address this themselves, according to experts in the audience at Computer Weekly’s event, is by building a strong network and utilising it. This involves being aware of the people who are willing to help you with your career and who will advocate for you in circles you’re not already present in.
These sponsors actively advocate for individuals, putting them forward for opportunities and using their influence to develop the careers of others.
Mentorship and coaching were also highlighted as ways to provide individuals with guidance to help them navigate the sector and make career choices.
Experts at the event claimed that while allyship for underrepresented groups is important, it means nothing without active participation to create an inclusive environment within a team and help others to have influence and use it.
Individuals can be a huge support in advancing their own careers and the careers of others if they actively use what influence they have to give advice and build up other talented tech workers.
Do not wait for change to happen – be the change you want to see.
Who has influence?
Influential does not mean senior
Experts at the annual diversity event pointed out that influence is present at all stages of someone’s career, from student, to junior team member, to manager.
They said there is a need for inclusive tech leadership, whereby leaders use influence to grow and promote those in their teams, but also to make teams a space where members are encouraged to share what they want from their roles and from the firm, and where they want their career to go.
Firms can encourage this behaviour by making it part of leaders’ job descriptions to champion diverse teams, tying it into their performance reviews.
As discussed, influence is not reserved for those who are already in senior positions – people at every level can have a voice, and it’s likely there is always at least one person looking to you for guidance, whether you’re aware of it or not.
But whether or not someone is heard depends on the culture of an organisation. If employees know they will be listened to, regardless of their level of seniority, they’ll have the confidence to use their influence. If they don’t, they’ll probably find somewhere else to work where their voice will be heard.
To reach a point where everyone in the sector feels they have influence over their own career and the progression of diversity in the tech sector, those who are already in such a position need to use their platform to advocate for others, helping to build a technology industry that people want to work in and stay in.
Jonathan is a tech enthusiast and the mind behind Tech AI Verse. With a passion for artificial intelligence, consumer tech, and emerging innovations, he deliver clear, insightful content to keep readers informed. From cutting-edge gadgets to AI advancements and cryptocurrency trends, Jonathan breaks down complex topics to make technology accessible to all.
