The Institute of Coding (IoC) has appointed members to its Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board, which is responsible for ensuring that the organisation upholds its own diversity and inclusion policies.
The new board holds 14 executive members from organisations such as the Web Science Institute, Queen Mary’s University London and the Association of Colleges.
Neil Milliken head of accessibility and digital inclusion at Atos has been made the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board for the Institute of Coding.
Commenting in an emailed statement Mr Milliken said that: “Increasing diversity is critical for the future of the UK technology industry and the board will work with our academic and industry partners to drive uptake and engagement with key courses to ensure more people get access to high quality education.”
“Businesses recognise the benefits of diversity and the value it can bring in terms of fresh thinking and new ideas and the board is working hard to help encourage a new generation to pursue a career in STEM subjects.”
Inclusion Advisory Board
The Institute of Coding was announced January 2018 by Prime Minister Theresa May when she pledged £20 million towards the creation of the Institute. It was officially launched on the 21st of June.
This £20 million has been matched with another £20 million from industry operators such as Dell, Microsoft and Cisco.
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Speaking to Computer Business Review, IoC Director Dr Rachid Hourizi claimed the UK needed 518,000 workers by the year 2022, but that in the last ten years only 164,000 graduated with a first degree in computer science.
He commented that: “It’s not just a problem, it’s an order of magnitude problem.”
See Also: Institute of Coding Launches £2.3 Million Digital Skills Fund
The Institute is being set up in a way that it will be university-based, but will be in partnership with industry and employers in digital sectors to better understand their needs.
“The whole point is that industry and educators sit together to develop courses that work for both of them,” Dr Hourizi states.
