Colt DCS pledges support for PwC-led push to boost number of women in tech

Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) is throwing its weight behind a PwC-led campaign to encourage organisations in the IT sector to pool their resources to increase the number of women working in technology.

The carrier neutral datacentre provider has signed up to join PwC’s Tech She Can charter, which launched in February 2018 to help participants build diverse and inclusive workplaces and – in turn – recruit and retain female tech talent.

Limor Brunner, vice-president of HR at Colt DCS, said the organisation’s involvement is partly in recognition of the fact that the datacentre industry will struggle to maintain current levels of growth without access to a diverse and growing workforce.

“The datacentre industry is thriving, and we need new talent who can bring a variety of skills, experiences and background to support our business growth,” said Brunner.

“One of the key barriers to getting more women into the STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] careers is down to the lack of information of what working in the sector entails, as well as the opportunity and encouragement for these individuals to thrive.”

Through its involvement in the initiative, Colt DCS will be encouraged to take part in outreach work with schools, including those in economically-challenged areas, as well as sharing best practice with other Charter participants about their female tech talent recruitment and retention methods.  

As previously reported by Computer Weekly, the UK datacentre industry is in the midst of a talent shortage, exacerbated by the high-levels of growth the sector has seen in recent years on the back of the growing demand for cloud services.

Indeed, figures from training provider DCProfessional have previously suggested the average person working in the datacentre sector is 55 years of age and male.

PwC’s own Women in Tech research suggests 27% of female A-level and university students would consider a career in tech (verses 62% of men), with more than a quarter sharing misgivings about doing so because of how male-dominated the industry is perceived to be.

Sheridan Ash, Women in Tech leader Tech She Can charter founder at PwC, said changing the way young women and girls think about STEM careers is essential to improving the tech sector’s overall diversity.  

“Waiting until women are entering work is simply too late – to boost the number of females in technology we need to take coordinated action to start inspiring girls to consider technology careers while they are still at school,” said Ash.

“By working together we can reach more females at an earlier stage of their lives. We need to work harder to raise awareness about the exciting range of technology roles out there, in a sector that has the power to change the world. Technology is open to all and we need to get that message across.”