Busting myths around diversity in tech

In October 2020, Octopus Energy embarked on an internship programme designed to prove that you don’t need to be a white man to flourish in the tech industry

Whether celebrated mathematician Ada Lovelace can be cited as the world's first computer programmer is a point of discussion among scientists and historians alike. However, her legacy as a role model and inspiration for women seeking to punch beyond traditional gender stereotypes is undeniable. There is no doubt Ada faced challenges in her pursuit of STEM subjects more than a century ago; something sustainable energy firm Octopus Energy acknowledges is still a set-back for many women and other under-represented groups in the tech industry today.

It is undeniable that the bulk of opportunities in tech go to one group, and Octopus is candid about its desire to drive change. ‘All tech companies, including us, have a role to play in making this industry truly diverse and representative', state the materials for its new internship programme, the Ada Lovelace Project.

Led by senior front-end developer Gilly Ames, and with direct support from company director Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, the internship project ran through October last year - the same month as Ada Lovelace Day. During this time the interns, hailing from a range of backgrounds, were responsible for gathering requirements from around the business and assessing both the technical and problem-fit of a proof-of-concept idea, presenting their work and findings back to the team after a two-week period. The concept goes far beyond the usual passive internship filing tasks or shadowing employees. The interns' projects were genuine, and they were immediately accountable for adding value to the business, while also giving the women a chance to hone their tech skills.

Computer science graduate Noshin Begum, 22, and medical secretary Cerise Abel-Thompson, 31, bring two very different skill-sets to the table. Noshin, having many small projects within the tech industry under her belt already, came across the internship opportunity through Octopus' partnership with Work Finder, and was keen to get the inside scoop on what large, well-established companies are looking for in a workforce.

Noshin Begum

"I heard about Octopus Energy and I knew that it was quite a big company… I knew big companies would have existing processes, so that's something I wanted to experience: working under existing processes, existing company policies, and to see how I needed to use my skills and tailor them to the company."

Cerise, having no previous experience of the technology sector, studied a creative degree and found herself drawn to the creative side of tech, teaching herself to code while on furlough last year. It was a recommendation from a friend who already worked for Octopus that prompted her application. "[The encouragement] was a good thing, because I kind of came from the charity sector and have been hesitant about how different big tech companies were going to be," she says.

Cerise had no pre-conceived ideas of exactly what she'd experience, but felt comfortable because "Gilly [Ames] - who was running it - is obviously also a woman, and so she was really good at chatting to us about what it was like being a woman in tech... so it felt slightly less intimidating than when I've spoken to other people in the past about tech. They've always been men in big teams of men, and there's like one woman there."

Noshin already had some idea about what to expect, and her experience is representative of many in an under-represented minority workforce: "Being a woman in tech and being an ethnic minority, it felt like there were two things against me. I definitely feel that a pain point is trying to not let the pressure of being a minority get to me, and actually get my work done…. It was quite weird and quite new to me to be working at Octopus and not have that pressure." She also touches upon a point commonly acknowledged by many under-represented workers in their field, of having to fight off pre-conceived notions about inequality. "I just said to myself, 'You need to prove yourself even more than everyone else'. But straight after the first meeting that pressure kind of disappeared and it felt like we were all measured equally."

Busting myths around diversity in tech

In October 2020, Octopus Energy embarked on an internship programme designed to prove that you don’t need to be a white man to flourish in the tech industry

Breaking the mold

Equality can be a difficult term to float in a sector that remains predominantly white, male and middle-class, with job descriptions and qualifications still marketed primarily to men. Cerise appreciated the attempt to remove those barriers, in favour of targeting "people who are underrepresented in tech. So, people of colour, women of colour, women and non-binary people; and [Octopus] were really good at saying, ‘We see that there's a lack and we want to help you.'"

In recent years, significant efforts have been made to encourage recognition of women in the technology space. Computing runs its own Women in Tech Awards and Women in Tech Festival, as well as dedicated categories in the events like the Security Excellence Awards - but that serves to highlight another point of diversity interest. The gender disparity seen in entries to every award show, excluding the Women in Tech Awards, is vast, heavily favouring men. Few women enter themselves into award events designed to celebrate the entire tech industry.

This wasn't surprising to Cerise: "I think there'll be a whole plethora of reasons, and it will be down to [points like] the phraseology of the language used in the adverts - that the client will accidentally make women feel like one thing or another." She also pointed to the issue being deeper than just marketing linguistics: "The way that women are spoken to in terms of their career development is very, very different to men, and that goes across all sectors. For women it's often more to do with continuing to grow outwards, whereas for men it's more of an upward trajectory."

Cerise Abel-Thompson

Noshin agrees. "I'm one of those types of people that would only have applied for the Women in Tech Awards, because deep down - I don't know if it's every woman, but I feel like I would have more of a chance winning that than against a group of men. That's down to the linguistics of it and also based on what I've experienced."

Does Noshin think the tech industry has a diversity problem? Absolutely, she says, and she is passionate about addressing it. "Experiencing it first-hand, I see how it affects a lot of people. Throughout my university degree, I've seen so many women and women of colour drop out because of the diversity issue…

"Internships like this are a part of the solution, not the problem. I used to not feel positive about the industry, I used to feel stuck in the industry, but now the internship has given me a bit more of a positive outlook, overall, in general, about tech. I definitely think how we can solve this is by welcoming women and women of colour."

Building an inclusive industry

Running parallel with the issue of facing pre-existing inequality is the evidence of impostor syndrome. Women and those from under-represented minorities are frequently left feeling inadequate or ‘other', and end up dropping out of roles or qualifications due to lack of diversity, or support issues. Cerise sums it up: "Tech has a diversity problem, so does society, and it's systemic and endemic."

In addition to being aware of just how much of the industry is targeted at men, Cerise suggests role models can play an important part: "Having visibility [of different figures is important], like a woman of colour or people who are disabled… The visuals of it are important, especially for young people who are deciding what they want to do. It's where you see yourself represented; it's where you put your time. Even though I was a white straight girl, I still didn't see myself represented in tech."

Cerise feels that a large part of why the time with Octopus was so positive was the mentoring, and the validity those mentors gave to the interns' ideas. "I was thinking about that thing of being spoken to by a woman, which just means that you don't get patronised… [Patronisation] comes in so many different guises, but it happens quite a lot."

Noshin had had similar experiences and, while keen to point out that everyone's experiences were going to vary, said: "I continuously [faced] and still do face a lot of uncomfortable comments. So, men will downplay my achievements, because I got it and they didn't." This is a dual problem for Noshin, who has also had to contend with racial discrimination. "In the workplace I've definitely had experiences being Asian, and people saying things like, I've got into different companies because they needed to fulfil their diversity quota… I definitely feel like being a woman in tech is hard, especially my degree, but in certain professional situations, getting Asian comments or questioning where my parents are from or where I'm from - I was born here - it doesn't link to my achievements or my skills."

An entire sector isn't going to diversify itself overnight, but the interns were able to provide simple yet practical solutions to some of the more immediate problems. Both women are passionate about making diversity a culture everywhere, not just in tech, from application process onwards.

Offering projects like the Ada Lovelace internship, they say, demonstrated a level of trust in a diverse range of new talent. Noshin says she found that trust equally surprising and empowering. "I think more tech companies should do it, but the question is, could they do it? Octopus Energy had a lot of trust in us - they were paying us for our time, yet they still gave us creative freedom, knowing that we were early on in the tech industry."

The impact this project has had on both of these bright young women is clearly profound, and gives food for thought about what else the industry should be doing to not only welcome and encourage new diverse talent, but to retain it, too. Octopus Energy director Rebecca Dibb-Simkin was thrilled with the interns' contribution to the company, saying, "During their few weeks with us, they made huge strides in building new features… The exceptionally bright young women that joined our first Ada Lovelace internship are living proof that women will flourish in tech with the right kind of support. And we hope this placement opportunity will inspire more women to enter the tech industry."

Octopus Energy will resume the Ada Lovelace Project again next year.