The centre, led by the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds and York, in collaboration with STEM Learning and the National Centre for Computing Education, aims to enhance the diversity of individuals studying Computing in schools and universities, or those opting for a career in the tech industry.
The discipline of Computer Science has a well established lack of diversity. For example, whereas 10% of eligible boys sat the computing A-Level in Yorkshire and Humberside, only 1% of eligible girls chose the subject. Similar trends affect pupils from particular ethnic minorities, as well as pupils from low-income backgrounds.
Dr Neil Walkinshaw, who represents the University of Sheffield in the centre, said: “There are many fantastic initiatives and resources within the UK and further afield that share our aim of spurring inclusion in tech. These initiatives tend to focus on specific cohorts or points in the “pipeline” into tech, from schools through to colleges, universities and the workplace.
“Our goal at the WRCIC is to complement these ongoing efforts by linking our university students, staff and infrastructure with these existing initiatives to make sure that they reach a wider audience. The White Rose Centre for Inclusive Computing will focus on those cohorts and communities that are especially underrepresented.”
Professor Heidi Christensen, Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, added: “As a department, we are incredibly proud to be part of the White Rose Centre for Inclusive Computing. The centre aims to become a beacon of our work on breaking down barriers to diverse and representative groups' involvement in computer science education and research."
Karen Tsui, White Rose University Consortium said: “At White Rose, we are committed to supporting the Centre for Inclusive Computing to achieve its goals at speed and scale. With our long track record of combining complementary expertise to solve complex issues, we are confident the WRCIC can harness and leverage the collective enthusiasm and resources across the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, and York. Together, we can unlock more opportunities for underrepresented groups to access and thrive in computing education in the short term and tech careers in the long term.”
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