Laptop donations aim to empower young women
A Sheffield-based campaign to give out free laptops to young people is pushing to help more women of colour to enter the male-dominated video games industry.
Michael Crossland
BUSINESS REPORTER
A Sheffield-based campaign to give out free laptops to young people is pushing to help more women of colour to enter the male-dominated video games industry.
The Laptops for All campaign has donated devices to people who took part in the Next Level Project at the National Videogame Museum in Sheffield, which aims to train young women of colour on how to make video games. The free six-week course provided an introduction to the sector and the well-paid jobs on offer, and gave participants the chance to learn coding and design skills and create video games. Technology entrepreneur David Richards, who co-founded the Laptops for All campaign with The Yorkshire Post sister paper, The Star, said: "We want to encourage more young women of colour to explore career opportunities in the video games industry and promote diversity in the tech sector.
"There has never been a better time with so many opportunities for people to develop their talents and enjoy amazing careers."
Aged between 18-25, the young women received one-to-one support and careers guidance, an accreditation certificate on completion, and a laptop gifted by Laptops for All so they can continue to develop their skills.
One of the graduates has now joined a coding bootcamp, whilst another has begun a web design and coding course at The Sheffield College. Another wants to develop a career in video game design after completing her English and Maths studies, and another has started looking for a job in IT.
Just 26 per cent of the tech sector workforce is female, compared to 50 per cent of the general labour market, according to industry group Tech Nation.
The proportion of people of colour in the sector is marginally higher than the general labour market, but is still not representative of the UK population.
The course was co-designed by the National Videogame Museum with students who are studying English as a second language at The Sheffield College.
One of the young women who took part in the project said: "I have really enjoyed being in a new place and learning new things. "Being in a new country and not knowing Sheffield, it has helped my confidence." Stacey Jubb, head of learning at the National Videogame Museum, said: "There is a real sense of pride and achievement among the young women who took part in the Next Level Project. We want to empower young people to break into the video games industry and would like to thank the Laptops for All campaign for supporting our cause." Founded in Sheffield in 2020, Laptops for All - also known as Laptops for Kids - has sourced more than 15,000 devices for communities across the North of England.
Recent beneficiaries include the Broomhall Homework Club, which partners young people with home work mentors, and Sheffield City of Sanctuary. Laptops for All works with local charities including Age UK, The Food Works and Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care and the local NHS to distribute devices and data according to need. Campaign supporters include Blancco Technology Group, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Re-buyer, TecSec, The Sheffield College and WANdisco plc, the software company founded by David Richards.