IRIS, a leading cloud software company, and The Hg Foundation, a grant-giving charity focused on improving tech education and skills, are joining forces to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds to access careers in the tech sector. 

According to data from the Tech Talent Charter, only 9% of tech employees come from low socio-economic backgrounds, compared with 39% of the UK population. Furthermore, just 29% of tech employees identify as female or non-binary. This partnership aims to address these disparities by enabling young people from underrepresented backgrounds to access high-quality internships in tech, as the first step on the ladder to a successful career. 

The Foundation’s funding will support strategic partnerships with leading social mobility non-profits, initially including upReach, the Social Mobility Foundation, 10,000 Black Interns and Day One. These partnerships will help identify underrepresented young people to benefit from tech internships, and provide crucial pre- and post-internship support so that young people can make the most of the opportunities on offer. These new partnerships will more than double the number of students supported through IRIS' Social Purpose Internship Programme, which began in 2022, and will mean that up to 50 young people are supported over the next two years.  

Internships will be offered to students in the UK, US, and Romania; across the programme cohort 50% will be from low socio-economic backgrounds, 40% will be from a Black or other Ethnic Minority background, and 50% will be female as a minimum. Participants will gain high-quality work experience, completing their own projects as well as receiving professional development support, and the offer of a mentor after the programme ends.