A 170 ethnic minority students were given a taste of what it feels like to work in a STEM role last week, thanks to a new partnership between social mobility charity Speakers for Schools and Corsight AI, a leading facial recognition provider.
The work experience placements for ethnic minority students aged 14-19 in the UK, aimed d shine a light on careers within the technology sector.
Ethnic minorities are largely underrepresented in STEM careers and Corsight’s Vice President of Growth and Innovation and placement leader, Dr Maya Dillon, wants to change that by proactively tackling any barriers to the recruitment process.
The hope is that by successfully completing a placement with Corsight AI, ethnic minority students will have gained technical knowledge, skills, network and employability – all of which will be crucial as society transitions to a digital-first economy.
Dr Maya Dillon said: “The strongest teams are built through championing talent and diversity. Through this work experience programme with Speakers for Schools, we can connect with a broad range of young people, helping them consider career options they might not have had access to previously or even knew existed. I am particularly passionate about encouraging young women and ethnic minority students to consider a tech career, and promoting educational equality and providing access to high-quality work experience is a key place to start.”
Jason Elsom, CEO of Speakers for Schools, said: “In a world that is increasingly digitalised, there are a growing number of exciting job opportunities in the technology sector, but as they are less-traditional by nature, young people can be less familiar with the career paths available. Partnerships like this ensure we are connecting young people to careers in dynamic industries, no matter what background or circumstance.”
Since March 2020, Speakers for Schools has offered 14,000 virtual work experience placements, enabling young people to access career-preparing opportunities despite the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and where they are geographically based.
To find out more about work experience for your business or school, get in touch here: www.speakersforschools.org/experience-2/
