From Tomorrow’s World to Teen Tech

CRN caught up with TV legend Maggie Philbin to find out why it is so important for her to get more young people, particularly young women, involved in the tech industry

Most people born before the mid-1980s will remember watching Maggie Philbin on classic shows like Swap Shop and Tomorrow’s World, and younger viewers may remember her from Bang Goes the Theory, but the popular broadcaster also runs TeenTech - an organisation that helps young people get into the tech industry.

TeenTech came to life in 2008 after Philbin had a conversation with her teenage daughter which revealed just how misunderstood the tech industry was by the up-and-coming generations at the time. The aim was to connect schools and businesses, change perceptions and convince young people to consider a career in the industry.

Speaking to CRN at the recent GTIA UK & I Forum in Manchester, where she was speaking as one of the recipients of a charitable donation from the organisation, Philbin said: “I realised after speaking to my daughter that there was this total lack of understanding about the amazing opportunities in tech and said we must do something about it. We ran an event with the aim of helping young people understand a few things. Firstly, what’s out there is a fast-changing world, and that the world of tech is not what they might imagine. Secondly that they may need certain skills to thrive in it and finally understanding their own potential to really enjoy it.

“I was also being approached a lot about diversity in tech, particularly around the balance of male/female, and I thought that if we get diversity right for our events in the truest sense of the word, we will get it right for everyone. So, we decided that our events would be completely open to everyone.”

Show new talent they can belong in technology

Philbin said the data collected from the events has proved that it is an effective way of reaching not only young women, who traditionally have been more reluctant to consider IT as a career, but also students who may be feeling disillusioned with the education system.

“Right the way through it has shown to be a very effective way of reaching not only girls proportionally, but also young people who may have felt excluded, perhaps because they were from a socially disadvantaged background or they just thought differently,” she said.

Philbin said the enthusiasm for TeenTech never ceases to amaze her.

“I never imagined that 18 years down the line we would still be doing this, but it has grown, and it has grown through what the young people themselves have articulated that they need. It has grown through companies who have been extraordinarily loyal because they can see the impact it is having.

We have young people who may have done a TeenTech event when they were eight years old, and they are still working with us at 19.

“We work not only with companies, but universities, colleges, people who want to make a difference.”

She added that TeenTech is still keen to get more people from the industry involved in its events and outreach efforts.

“We desperately need more and more volunteers who would like to get involved or run an activity or an event with us, and also people who can help us reach young people who are not necessarily being supported well by our current education system.

"We are missing out on so much ability and we need to all take action.”