In the UK, only 8.5% of technology leaders are from minority backgrounds and only 25% of software engineers are female – an indication of how UK technology teams are still very much homogenous.

To combat these statistics, Bright Network Technology Academy is on a mission to train 100,000 students and recent graduates in technology skills, whilst also aiming to address the UK’s digital skills shortage. Founded in 2021, Bright Network provides businesses with access to diverse early software developer talent.

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected as a finalist at the prestigious Institute of Student Employers Awards for our partnership with Lloyds Banking Group, in the “Outstanding Employer and Supplier Development Partnership” category. As our first award nomination at Bright Network Technology Academy, this recognition comes after a successful first year, and is a testament to our wonderful junior consultants and trainers for all their achievements.

Over the past year, Bright Network Technology Academy has worked with Lloyds Banking Group to create an industry-leading initiative to: 

• Engage of young, ambitious developers from diverse backgrounds
• Champion diverse talent through industry-wide platforms
• Collaborate on a playbook to share best practice for other technology leaders

To ensure we achieved these results, Bright Network Technology Academy supported Lloyds Banking Group by developing a strategy that discovers future technology leaders – using Bright Network’s membership of over 600,000 students and recent graduates.

The multi-year plan invites students to become full-stack developers by joining a 3-month bootcamp, expertly developed and delivered in tandem with Bright Network Technology Academy and Lloyds Banking Group. In addition, the training provided is free with no prohibitive ‘exit frees’ or obligations to work with partner organisations – truly supporting social mobility in order to reach early talent, regardless of background.

The partnership has already delivered real industry impact, including:

• The 80 diverse candidates have been trained and placed in Lloyds Banking Group technology teams. The most recent cohort were 68% women, 13% black heritage and 82% from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Bright Network Technology Academy graduates at Lloyds Banking Group have spoken at industry-leading events and told their stories through articles and videos, shared with other technology leaders and their teams.
• Lloyds Banking Group and Bright Network Technology Academy have partnered with 100+ leading companies to create a 10-point action-plan to drive social mobility in large organisations.

As we continue our partnership with Lloyds Banking Group throughout 2022, Peter Crouch, Head of Engineering says, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Bright Network to grow a diverse talent pool who are working at the cutting edge of modern engineering”.

The Institute of Student Employers Awards are known as the benchmark of outstanding performance as they recognise and reward excellence at the highest levels across a broad range of categories. We are thankful to all our members for their contributions and support, and to ISE for the recognition of our fantastic partnerships. We look forward to joining all the other finalists at the Gala Dinner.