UK unveils TechFirst: 300 roles and girls’ tech contest

If you teach computing or run a STEM club, this is one to share with your class. The government has outlined a package to bring more women and girls into technology: 300 paid roles in small and medium‑sized businesses, a UK‑wide girls’ AI and coding competition for 12‑ and 13‑year‑olds, and a returnship pilot for experienced developers who have taken time out. The announcement on GOV.UK frames this as moving from promises to practical routes into work.

Why does this matter in real life? Women remain under‑represented across tech, and the loss is felt in families, classrooms and the wider economy. Research highlighted by WeAreTechWomen and Oliver Wyman’s Lovelace Report estimates the UK loses £2–£3.5 billion each year as women leave the sector. When we keep girls engaged early and support women to re‑enter, we keep skills, creativity and economic value in the room.

Here’s the jobs piece in plain English. The £4 million TechFirst Women’s Programme will work with SMEs across the country to create at least 300 paid tech placements, each lasting a minimum of six months. Participants will receive coaching and interview preparation, while host companies get support to adopt AI and digital tools. If you’re a woman considering a move into tech-or a return after time away-this is designed to be a supported first step, not a leap into the unknown.

Now to the classroom side. The TechFirst Girls Competition, to be delivered with IBM and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology later this year, will invite thousands of 12‑ and 13‑year‑old girls to solve real‑world challenges using AI and coding. IBM recently delivered the CyberFirst Girls Competition to over 10,000 students, and that experience carries into this new, expanded format focused on creativity, teamwork and problem‑solving.

Teacher takeaway: you can start light‑touch preparation before sign‑ups open. Build confidence with short, low‑stakes challenges that connect computing to everyday problems your pupils care about-safety, climate, local transport, school wellbeing. Treat AI as a set of tools that spot patterns in data, not as magic. Encourage mixed abilities to take part; belonging comes before perfection. A single lesson that ends with ‘what did we learn and where did we get stuck?’ can make a big difference.

For career returners, the government will pilot a returnship scheme with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. It aims to bring skilled software developers who have been out of work for 18 months or more into senior tech roles in government. The idea is simple: the programme addresses the ‘CV gap’ hurdle that many returners-often women who have been caring for family-face when trying to re‑enter at the level their skills warrant.

Representation isn’t just about fairness; it shapes the products we all use. Studies cited in the announcement include evidence that hiring algorithms have favoured male names and that an AI model for liver disease was twice as likely to miss the condition in women. When teams are narrow in background, blind spots creep into design, testing and rollout. When teams are broader, the tech gets better-and safer-for everyone.

There’s also a listening strand. The Women in Tech Taskforce has opened a Call for Evidence on supporting women around emerging technologies and AI, including how to reduce bias in systems. If you’re a teacher, student, parent or returner with lived experience-positive or negative-your story can guide what government and industry do next. Media literacy note: sharing specifics (what worked, what blocked you) is often more useful than broad statements.

Timings to know, so you can plan. According to the GOV.UK notice, the returnship pilot opens for applications in spring, while the TechFirst women’s jobs programme and the girls’ competition will launch later this year. Full application details for placements will be published on GOV.UK. If you’re preparing a class, pencil in a project window and keep an eye out for the brief and eligibility rules when they land.

What this means for you. Students get a first taste of building solutions, not just talking about them. Teachers get a national hook for a cross‑curricular project that links computing, citizenship and PSHE. Women returning to tech gain paid, supported roles with a clear start date. Pair the opportunity with a conversation about respectful behaviour online-harassment remains a real barrier for many girls-and we move closer to a tech sector that reflects, and serves, the whole country.