WES Digital Leaders programme

This programme of workshops has been successfully delivered and we hosted a celebratory webinar, on Wednesday 24 March.

The webinar included presentations from our partners including Radiant & Brighter and Mel MacIntyre Coaching, and some of the participants shared how they are innovating in their workplace.

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WES Digital Leaders webinar presentation

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The digital leaders programme was for women in the technology sector in Scotland, to develop their leadership skills, and support mental health and resilience. The purpose was to address inequalities and retain women already in the sector, boost their career prospects, and increase employer awareness of the economic benefits of equality and diversity. The programme was free to attend, delivered digitally, and supported by this dedicated website.

According to expert digital industry body ScotlandIS, women account for just 23% of the workforce in digital technologies roles. A recent Scottish Government Report found the impacts of COVID-19 have disproportionately affected women’s mental health and employment prospects, putting at risk decades of progress on gender equality. Plus, the Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey and LeanIn.Org found one in four women were considering downshifting their career or leaving the workforce entirely due to the pandemic. The strategic importance of engaging more women in the technology and digital sector was featured in the recent Report on the Scottish technology ecosystem by Mark Logan, former Chief Operating Officer of “unicorn” technology company Skyscanner.

The programme has complemented work to build a pipeline of women aspiring to start a career in the sector by providing visible role models and be an enabler for the implementation of other Logan Review recommendations. The project has also engaged with employers to help improve their equality and diversity policies and increase understanding of the economic benefits.

The WES Digital Leaders programme was funded by the Workplace Equality Fund and delivered by Women's Enterprise Scotland.