It’s hard to argue against how computer skills will be essential for the future. Despite this being the case, it seems the number of women gaining the necessary skills is declining.

Analysis from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) which was shared today by Makers – to mark the beginning of National Coding Week – shows that the number of female students who took GCSEs in Computing or ICT has fallen from 52,835 in 2014, down to 35,103 this summer (2018).

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This follows on from last year, which saw the number of software developers fall for the first time this decade, sliding from 308,000 in 2016 to 292,000 in 2017, a reduction of 5%.

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“We need more women training as software engineers if we are to remain competitive in a post-Brexit world. Diversity can’t be an afterthought in the digital economy, and it is never too late to learn to code and consider a career switch” said Ruben Kostucki, COO at Makers.

Makers’ has launched a new Apprenticeship programme which is designed to be as inclusive as possible, aiming to train hundreds of women in the coming months – since men currently outnumber women by four to one.

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Already 35% of makers’ software engineers are female, compared to only 13% on UK’s computer science university course.

Ruben Kostucki continued: “We are thrilled to be launching the UK’s first apprenticeship software engineering programme in the format of the boot camp we have been running for over 5 years. We feel our contribution will benefit the levy scheme, which has not yet reached its full potential.”

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“Makers is raising the bar on quality in respects to apprenticeship schemes as we offer the fastest and most efficient way to get job-ready software engineers that can deliver. We’ve achieved this milestone independent from any government support having trained 1,500 in the past five years working with dozens of leading UK employers. Since we’ve been added to the official register of training provider, we are already training circa 100 Apprentices and demand from both employers and candidates is exploding.”