<p>Each October sees a celebration of Ada Lovelace. She is remembered not because she was a celebrity - the chances are you have not heard of her - but because she is considered one of the first women of IT. Born in 1815, Ada became one of the world’s first ever computer programmers when she wrote an algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. She paved the way for the millions of women around the world working in tech but 200 years after her birth she would likely be sigh at the looming skills gap in the industry.</p>
<h3>How to get more women in tech.</h3>
<p>Just 9% of females graduating from IT degrees go on to an IT career compared to 26% of male IT graduates. What can be done to bridge this gap?</p>
<h3>Start young.</h3>
<p>Encourage girls to get into tech from as early an age as possible, and to learn coding and computer science in school. Schools are starting to offer coding now so it is more accessible than before.</p>
<p>Continue that encouragement at every stage of their development, from school to college to university to employment. After all it was Ada Lovelace’s mum who educated her in maths so she’d avoid the ‘poetic’ ways of her father Lord Byron. Change attitudes about IT as a male-dominated industry and portrayals of male-centric tech offices in popular culture. Martha Lane Fox and Sheryl Sandberg are two of the most powerful people in tech and guess what? They're women!</p>
<h3>Promote diversity in tech workplaces.</h3>
<p>We all know that teams work best when they have a diverse range of people with different strengths, skills and personalities. Empathy and emotional understanding, which studies show come more naturally to women, are also important these days because many digital products are people-focused by their nature.</p>
<h3>Get a job in IT.</h3>
<p>One in 40 London tech companies have an all-male workforce and women account for less than one-fifth of the IT workforce. It's clear females are vastly underrepresented in the world of IT so you’ll always have a look-in with companies that value diversity. Many large global employers are starting to target women in the tech sector and there has been an increase in groups on social media formed to promote and support women in tech.</p>