News
News
The Hg Foundation and upReach enter third phase of partnership, marking five years of the Tech500 programme
With the growth of AI already reshaping the UK tech labour market, The Hg Foundation has renewed its commitment to social mobility charity upReach.
As the tech sector changes in light of AI, upReach, the award-winning social mobility charity, and The Hg Foundation, a funder focused on improving tech education and skills, are delighted to announce a renewed partnership with a further grant of £1 million over two years. Running from Summer 2026 to Summer 2028, this third phase of collaboration marks five years since the Tech500 programme was first established with initial funding from The Hg Foundation in May 2021.
With only 9% of UK tech employees reported to be from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, compared to 39% of the UK population, the need for programmes like Tech500 remains as pressing as ever. But the challenge is also evolving. The graduate hiring landscape has shifted significantly since Tech500 was founded in 2021: entry-level tech vacancies are falling and competition for roles is intensifying, with the average tech graduate role now attracting 180 applications per vacancy.
The rapid adoption of AI is further reshaping the skills employers seek, creating new demand for AI literacy, data fluency, and adaptability alongside traditional technical expertise. In a tighter, faster-moving market, students without professional networks and industry connections – disproportionately those from lower income backgrounds – risk being left further behind. Tech500 is responding: the programme's third phase will continue serving undergraduates from lower income households, sharpen its focus on Computer Science and STEM students, embed stronger employer feedback loops to stay attuned to evolving hiring trends, and equip students with the blend of technical and human skills increasingly valued in an AI-augmented workplace.
The programme has already made a significant impact. Since its launch, backed by £4.5m+ of overall support from the Hg Foundation, Tech500 has reached 991 students, all from households with incomes below £42,620. Of those who have graduated from the programme already, 76% have secured graduate roles and the proportion of graduates securing tech roles has grown from one-third in 2022 to 53% in 2025.
To rigorously assess the programme’s impact further, in 2025/26 The Hg Foundation funded and commissioned an independent evaluation by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). Using national Higher Education data, NatCen benchmarked Tech500 Associates against carefully matched peers, controlling for socio-economic background, educational attainment and demographics. The results were compelling: Tech500 Associates consistently outperformed comparable peers across a range of employment measures - experiencing a 65% higher likelihood of securing highly skilled, full-time employment and an 80% higher likelihood of earning above the UK median graduate salary.
Acting on these findings, The Hg Foundation has committed a further £1 million to fund the next era of the Tech500. This grant will sustain and strengthen the core of the programme: personalised 1-to-1 support from a dedicated upReach Programme Coordinator, the annual Tech500 Summer Bootcamp, and a rich calendar of in-person events including employer insight days, hackathons and skills workshops. It will also enable upReach to expand access to mentoring and exclusive employer-led opportunities. And critically, ensure that the programme continues to evolve in step with a fast-changing tech labour market, so that students are prepared not just for today's roles but for the careers of the future.
We are absolutely thrilled to be renewing our partnership with The Hg Foundation for a second time. Reaching this new milestone is a testament to the strength of our collaboration and the proven difference Tech500 has made to hundreds of young people’s lives. This new phase will allow us to deepen our impact: keeping what works and building upon the high-impact opportunities that we know can truly transform students’ career pathways, including preparing them for a tech sector being reshaped by AI. Together, we remain committed to building a tech industry that reflects the full breadth of talent across the UK.
Five years ago, we co-created and seed-funded upReach’s Tech500 programme based on the belief that recruiting talent from all backgrounds into tech was both a matter of fairness and a practical necessity for the sector’s future. That belief holds stronger than ever – and as AI reshapes the tech workforce, programmes like Tech500 that equip talented young people to adapt and thrive are even more vital. Together, we have built something remarkable - a programme of reach, ambition and measurable impact that is strengthening the pipeline of talent into technology. We are proud to continue this partnership and to support its next chapter at a time of emerging opportunities in a world of AI.
About upReach:
upReach is an award-winning social mobility charity driven by a vision of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential, regardless of social background. Working in close partnership with leading employers and universities, they support 3,200+ students from across the UK to discover a variety of career options, and develop the vital employability skills, networks and experiences needed to succeed in their chosen career and beyond.
Find out more at upreach.org.uk.
About The Hg Foundation:
The vision of The Hg Foundation is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background. To achieve this, it helps underrepresented groups to access high quality jobs in tech by supporting education- and employment-based programmes across the UK, Europe and North America. The Foundation, which is an independent registered charity, is funded by Hg, a leading transatlantic software investor. To date, the Foundation has committed $45m, supported 55 education and employment programmes, and helped more than 80,000 young people and adults access opportunities in the technology sector.
Find out more at thehgfoundation.com.
