TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for improving diversity, inclusion and participation in the UK technology workforce. Areas for discussion include widening participation and progression in technology roles, workplace culture and leadership accountability, education and skills pathways into the sector, support for underrepresented founders, and approaches to measuring progress, including forthcoming requirements on UK businesses around gender pay gap and menopause action plans.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities emerging from the Women in Tech Taskforce’s March 2026 call for evidence, alongside recent analysis from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on workforce priorities linked to the UK’s digital and AI ambitions. Delegates will consider implications for recruitment, retention and career development, as well as how barriers linked to gender, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background and geography should be reflected in policy development, employer practice and accountability frameworks.
The agenda will examine practical approaches to improving workplace culture, widening participation and supporting inclusive career pathways across the sector. We expect discussion on flexible and hybrid working, support for those with caring responsibilities, pay transparency, sponsorship, mid-career retention and returner routes, and approaches to addressing harassment, discrimination, stereotyping and exclusionary behaviours.
Further sessions will consider priorities for education-to-employment pathways, technical and vocational routes, employer engagement and regional talent development. Discussion will also look at barriers faced by underrepresented founders in accessing finance, networks and opportunities to scale, as well as how approaches to skills, investment and innovation can support wider participation in emerging and high-growth areas such as AI, digital infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Recruitment, retention, workforce development & employment rights
Delegates will examine latest thinking on where action is most needed, including ways to address reasons why women and other underrepresented groups leave technology roles, barriers to progression, and under-representation in leadership across the technology workforce. Practical approaches to recruitment, retention and workforce development will be considered, including career support, sponsorship, mentoring, flexible working and support for employers of different sizes.
Discussion will also assess how workplace culture and leadership practice can be developed to better support inclusive career pathways. Areas for discussion include harassment and discrimination, health-related support, gender pay and progression disparities, and implications of wider developments in employment rights and workplace practice. Attendees will consider forthcoming requirements on gender pay gap and menopause action plans under the Employment Rights Act 2025, including questions around proportionality, organisational capacity and implementation.
Policy priorities, accountability & monitoring progress
Looking at proposals from the Women in Tech Taskforce, delegates will consider how its work might practically inform policy development, employer action and approaches to accountability. The conference will also look at how wider barriers affecting women and other underrepresented groups can be better reflected in policy going forward, including those linked to ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background and geography.
Further discussion will examine how progress should be measured and linked to organisational accountability, including the use of reporting, data collection and evidence of what is delivering measurable change. The agenda will consider the respective roles of government, employers, investors, education providers and representative bodies in supporting improved participation, progression and leadership across the sector.
Education, skills pathways & widening entry routes
Sessions will explore pathways through education and training into technology careers, including early STEM engagement, implications of the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review, teacher capacity and digital literacy. Delegates will consider priorities for curriculum reform, technical education, T Levels, apprenticeships and alternative pathways in supporting participation and responding to labour market demand.
Further discussion is expected on partnerships between schools, further and higher education and industry, including mentoring, work placements, regional talent development and employer engagement. Attendees will assess how skills provision can be aligned with growth areas such as AI, digital infrastructure and cybersecurity, while addressing the risk that existing inequalities or unconscious bias are carried into new technologies, products, services and workforce models.
Inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship & access to finance
Barriers faced by underrepresented founders and entrepreneurs will be examined, including in accessing finance, networks and opportunities to scale. Areas for discussion include investor practices, funding gaps, commercialisation pathways and approaches to widening participation in technology entrepreneurship.
Delegates will also assess how support for SMEs, start-ups and regional technology businesses can be developed to contribute to more inclusive innovation and workforce development. Further discussion is expected on access to training and lifelong learning, alignment between skills provision and innovation priorities, and support for growth and diversification across regional technology sectors.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
