NatWest bids to help Ukrainian women start tech careers

UK bank NatWest has launched a programme to help displaced Ukrainian women start new careers in technology.

The Scottish-based ‘Women in Tech’ pilot - delivered with Code First Girls and the Capital City Partnership - will see 60 displaced Ukrainian women re-trained in technology.

Then, 10 Ukrainian women will have the opportunity to complete the Code First Girls Degree. If they complete the training and pass the learning outcomes, they will be offered permanent roles as trainee software engineers at NatWest's Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Capital City Partnership will provide wrap-around support to the cohort, while Equate Scotland, the national expert in gender equality throughout the STEM sectors, will provide a programme of career support.

Wincie Wong, head, workforce technical capability, Digital X, at NatWest, says: “This initiative builds on our commitment to supporting Ukrainian families and recognises the capability and talent of these women, who have been through so much. I have met many of these women who are highly skilled engineers, lecturers, and mathematicians who have had to do lower paid jobs, if they find one at all, after they’ve arrived.

"Digital technology is the second fastest growing sector in Scotland, growing at a rate of 1.5 times the entire economy.

“We also know that women are only filling 23% of all the digital technology roles in Scotland so there is a need to increase the gender balance of this sector. It made perfect sense for us to be able to provide greater opportunities for this population to find gainful employment in one of our most important areas of the bank.”