2020 saw a pandemic disrupt businesses globally, turning them into remote working operations overnight, where technology played its’ biggest role; keeping the world connected. As digital transformed the way we worked, lived and socialised, start-ups accelerated at pace to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges being faced. Technology now forms the foundation of most businesses, where diverse perspectives will be driving innovation to new heights. It has never been more important for businesses to recruit the right talent that will keep them ahead in competitive times, creating a workplace where people feel valued and can thrive to their highest potential.
HOW OUR STORY HAS EVOLVED
Structur3dpeople is a diversity focused business helping organisations to attract, retain and develop talent. It was founded by Rav Bumbra, following a 20-year career in the tech industry, where she witnessed the low numbers of women working in the industry. Driven by her innate passion to support women, she wanted to drive a solution that would benefit both women and employers and one that would positively influence the gender gap.
Strategies that are driven from the top down, create the vision of what good looks like, where diversity sits at the core to drive innovation. Our work at Structur3dpeople has concentrated on increasing diversity in the workplace. We are regarded as a specialist and provide a range of services to organisations that include, building diversity strategies, delivering mentoring programmes, upskilling women and recruiting female talent.
2020 gave leaders the opportunity to shift mindsets from diversity and inclusion as being just “a nice to have” to that of “it’s a smart thing to do” The pandemic witnessed the most widespread working from home experiment in history. It opened up our conversations with businesses, to discuss how flexible working increased productivity and could help them seize the moment to attract female talent and consider the many options to engage women into the workforce and progress others to senior levels. Leaders started to realise that 2020 gave them an opportunity to shift mindsets from diversity and inclusion as being just “a nice to have” to that of “it’s a smart thing to do”
Our social mission provides mentoring and support to empower girls into STEM and women into technology fields across industries
At the heart of Structur3dpeople is our social mission; to drive change and increase the number of women working in technology fields across industries. The UK tech sector is booming, creating more jobs than it can fill. However, women still make up less than 20% of the tech workforce in the UK; there simply have not been enough women in the talent pool and as studies continue to evidence the gender gap starts in schools, this pool may get even smaller. So, when 75% of future jobs will involve STEM skills, how can we encourage more girls to see STEM as a suitable career path where they can thrive to their highest level?
90% of the girls we work with want to work in a tech career 98% want to sit on a board in the future
We have spent years talking to women to understand the barriers and challenges they faced when trying to enter and progress in the technology industry. Our work with girls in schools helped us to understand what is holding them back from exploring a career in STEM.
Our research led us to develop Cajigo, a mobile learning solution that demystified tech careers and we started to support women of all ages, as well as girls from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds; they could all see their limitless potential in a tech future that is advancing.
Today Cajigo is on a mission to inspire 20,000 schoolgirls into STEM
The pandemic has shown the world that technology leads the future and girls need to know they have a place in this tech future to design, develop, lead and build companies that can solve world problems as well as make our lives easier.
With most companies using technology as an integral part of their business, demystifying what digital and technology careers look like across industries is crucial in helping more women to enter and advance in this workforce in the future.
Today Cajigo is on a mission to inspire 20,000 schoolgirls into STEM. We are excited to empower girls, raise their aspirations and expand the talent pool of future technologists who will be leading the way and passing the elevator back down to help others rise behind them.
When we hear the stories of women working in technology careers, and their route into them, it can spark an interest and empower more to start exploring technology as a suitable career path Our Instagram Live chat show, Women Talk Tech, was born during Lockdown 1.0, providing some inspiration and motivation to uplift women and girls, during difficult times, through the stories of female role models in tech. Hosted by Rav, the show provides an insight into the lives of women working in a variety of fields, and demystifies what it means to be a “woman in tech”
