Softcat signs up to the Tech Talent Charter

Reseller joins HP and Cisco in pledging to boost the tech sector's diversity

Softcat has signed up to the Tech Talent Charter, joining vendor giants including HP and Cisco to tackle the issue of diversity in the UK's tech industry.

The Tech Talent Charter was started last November, with support from the government, at the same time as gender pay gaps in all industries were coming under scrutiny.

Softcat joins other channel firms, including CAE and Block, which are already charter participants.

Rebecca Monk, HR director at Softcat, said: "We are signing the Tech Talent Charter to demonstrate Softcat's public commitment to improving gender diversity within our industry.

"Our internal activities reflect many of the initiatives in the charter and we are inspired by the long list of employers pledging their support.

"Acting together, we hope to make real change."

When Softcat published its gender pay gap earlier this year it said it would use its report as a "springboard for change" as it looks to broaden the diversity in its workforce.

The firm's pay gap was 19 per cent - narrower than many in the channel. CRN' s research of a select group of VARs found the channel's average pay gap to be 23 per cent.

According to research from the Tech Talent Charter, around 17 per cent of employees in the tech and IT spaces are female, while 10 per cent of students taking A-level computer studies are female.

Debbie Forster, CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, said: "It's vital for the industry to come together as a whole to do more to show females that a career in technology is incredibly rewarding, to increase the number of females working within the industry, to attract people who are considering a career change, and to encourage younger generations to consider these careers from the word go.

"One single company can't do it alone, which is why we're asking organisations to pledge their support for the Tech Talent Charter and join us on our exciting journey."