The Tech Talent Charter, the UK non-profit focused on driving diversity and inclusion across the tech sector, has announced today that it will be closing and ceasing operations in August 2024.
The decision comes following a review by the organisation of the changing priorities and operational pressures on UK tech employers that it believes is putting progress on D&I at risk across the sector.
The review highlighted the economic pressures on the tech sector and a flattening and deprioritisation of D&I initiatives across the industry. In the TTC’s 2024 annual Diversity in Tech Report, published earlier this year, many organisations reported similar pressures, with D&I initiatives being shelved or swallowed within larger employee wellbeing programmes, and dedicated D&I budgets decreasing.
It is the belief of the Tech Talent Charter that an industry-wide reset is needed to prevent precious-won progress on D&I being lost or reversed and to ensure business resilience for the sector.
Founded in 2015, when women held fewer than 15% of tech roles in the UK, the TTC has been a convening voice and advocacy organisation, working with more than 800 tech employers who signed up as Signatories to support its goals.
Over the last nine years it has gathered D&I best practice and insights, collected and analysed diversity data representing almost a quarter of a million tech workers, helped steer the sector to almost double its female employment statistics, as well as raise awareness and advocacy of multiple diversity lenses, including ethnicity, neurodiversity and socio-economic status.
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It published annual reports on the progress of D&I and the approaches that made a real impact on building diversity. All this information was made freely available to any organisation who wanted to improve their diversity and inclusion.
“We are at a pivotal moment for the future of the UK’s tech sector. Great progress has been made but now too many companies are ‘quiet quitting’ D&I and there is real risk of going backward,” said co-CEO and co-founder Debbie Forster.
“We hope our decision to close will create a point of reflection and inflection that will lead to greater commitment to drive real change across the sector. We believe this decision, while tough to make, is the right thing to do at a time when D&I needs a reset and a new approach to ensure the longevity of the UK tech economy.”
Co-CEO Karen Blake added: “We have had the privilege of working with many great organisations who prioritise inclusion and diversity. They will continue to lead the way for the sector.
“We are pleased that our long-time collaborators techUK will support our legacy by continuing to make our research and resources freely available to support an industry that is still in dire need of change. And the directors of the TTC remain committed to continuing to work with the industry and government to drive real progress on D&I.
“Our decision to close is driven by the hope that it will amplify the need for renewed focus. We believe this inflection point is essential to refocusing efforts, refining methods, and driving greater commitment and investment at a systemic, industry, and regional level.”
The Tech Talent Charter has been partly funded by DSIT (and previously DCMS) and worked in close partnership with leading tech employers across the UK.
