NewsUKESF and Apple continue partnership inspiring Girls into Electronics
The UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), in collaboration with Apple, has launched its exciting Girls into Electronics programme for 2024. Girls into Electronics enables girls to gain insight into Electronics in an effort to address the skills shortage, reduce the gender imbalance and encourage more talented women to enter and remain in the industry. This year, participants will be offered the opportunity to join Apple’s Mentorship Programme and connect with Apple engineers who can provide advice as they further their studies in Electronics.
The award-winning initiative, now in its third year, continues to reach more and more girls and young women. In 2023, more than double the number of female students participated compared to the previous year. Building on last year’s success, the programme will provide opportunities for hundreds of girls between the ages of 15 and 18 to be inspired by electronics. The Girls into Electronics programme will run across twelve partner universities this summer; Aston University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh), King’s College London, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham, Queen’s University (Belfast), Royal Holloway University of London, University of Southampton and University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). The Apple Mentorship Programme will run for 3 to 6 months starting this autumn.
Credit: King’s College London
The success of the Electronics sector is crucial to the UK economy. The global semiconductor industry is the fourth largest industry in the world. The global semiconductor market has been forecast to reach $1 trillion, with the UK share being around 8%. In 2023, the UK Government pledged to invest up to £200 million into the UK semiconductor sector over 2023-25, with a total investment of up to £1 billion over the next decade.
Making advances in Electronics and semiconductors is critical to providing technological solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges, including climate change, improving healthcare and better connectivity and communications. Initiatives like Girls into Electronics are essential in encouraging more students from diverse backgrounds to consider careers in the sector.
We are now seeing the positive impact of Girls into Electronics programme as more female students are starting Electronics degrees. The support from Apple has been invaluable and has enabled us to grow this vital programme and I’m delighted to continue our partnerships with the UK’s leading universities in 2024. Girls into Electronics is shining example of what can be achieved when we work together on skills challenges.
Stewart Edmondson, CEO at UKESF
This programme is vital in challenging the gender imbalance in the Electronics industry, which is why we at Apple are thrilled to be part of the initiative again this year. With our sponsorship of last year’s programme, UKESF saw record participation, and we hope to go beyond those numbers in 2024. Excitingly, this year’s participants will be offered the opportunity to join Apple’s mentorship programme, giving them access to engineers who can provide advice as they further their studies in Electronics.
Mari-Anne Chiromo, Apple Inclusion and Diversity Partnerships Lead EMEIA
The events will take place in June and July 2024. Schools, students and parents can find out more, and register their interest, here
A strong Electronics and ‘deep tech’ industry is essential to the health of the UK economy but we know that the UK has a skills shortage in this critical sector. That’s why it’s great to see the work that the UKESF is doing encouraging more young people to pursue careers as Electronics Engineers. In particular, their Girls into Electronics initiative has the potential to make a real difference and it is something that we strongly support.
Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
