UK tech diversity body to shutter as sector faces ‘going backwards’
A UK government-funded body working to increase diversity in the tech sector has decided to close despite saying there is a “real risk of going backward”.
The Tech Talent Charter (TTC), partly funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, announced today it will stop operating in August. It has also called for an industry wide reset to prevent diversity and inclusion (D&I) progress in tech from reversing.
Co-chief executive and co-founder of the TTC, Debbie Forster, said: “We are at a pivotal moment for the future of the UK’s tech sector. Great progress has been made but now too many companies are ‘quiet quitting’ D&I and there is a real risk of going backward.”
The decision follows a review of shifting priorities and pressures on UK tech employers, threatening D&I progress. The TTC’s 2024 Diversity in Tech Report found D&I initiatives were increasingly no longer a priority in the sector, with many initiatives being shelved or merged into broader wellbeing programs as budgets have contracted.
“We hope our decision to close will create a point of reflection and inflection that will lead to greater commitment to drive real change across the sector,” Forster added.
Since it was founded in 2015, the TTC says it has collected and analysed diversity data from nearly 250,000 tech workers, helping nearly double female employment in the sector. TechUK will continue to make TTC’s resources freely available to companies.
It has worked with over 800 companies including Sky, PwC and Lloyds Bank.
Co-chief executive Karen Blake said the directors of the TTC “remain committed to continuing to work with the industry and government to drive real progress on D&I”.
“Our decision to close is driven by the hope that it will amplify the need for renewed focus. We believe this inflection point is essential to refocusing efforts, refining methods, and driving greater commitment and investment at a systemic, industry, and regional level,” she explained.