UKESF and Apple team up to inspire more girls into electronics

Women @ WWDC
(Image credit: Apple)

Together with Apple, the UK Electronics Skills Foundation has announced its 'Girls into Electronics' program. It's taking place over June and July later this year, and students can head over to the UKESF website to sign up and get involved.

The initiative aims to support 400 girls to learn more and get involved with the electronics sector. This looks to address the skills shortage and improve the gender imbalance in the industry.

More girls in electronics

The electronics industry is constantly growing and is pegged to be worth $136 billion by 2024. Demand for employable graduates, however, is currently overtaking supply, and UCAS figures in the UK show that only 3245 enrolled in degrees around Electronics and Electrical engineering in 2021. Of these, only 335 were women.

Fixing this imbalance and getting more people involved with electronics is the idea here, and universities all over the UK are getting involved. The Universities of Bristol, London, Leeds, Southampton, and Imperial College London are getting involved in the events.

On the scheme, CEO of EKESF says, "Many students touch upon Electronics in their Physics and Computer Science lessons at school, but the breadth, complexity, and importance of the field is often not fully understood. This initiative will ensure that more young people get to experience this fascinating and creative subject, and learn about the worthwhile opportunities available in Electronics Engineering."

Apple Inclusion and Diversity Partnerships Lead, Marie-Anne Chiromo, says of the program "We’re thrilled to be working with the UKESF on this important initiative, to encourage more women from all backgrounds to study electronic engineering and improve the current gender imbalance in the field.”

Given how few women there are working in the field, it's exciting to see an initiative looking to tip the scales a little more. It's not going to fix the issue overnight, but it's encouraging to see something being done by a company like Apple.

Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.

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