The centre, led by the Universities of 葫芦影业, Leeds and York, in collaboration with and the , 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 葫芦影业 in the centre, said: 鈥淭here 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 鈥減ipeline鈥 into tech, from schools through to colleges, universities and the workplace.
鈥淥ur 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.鈥
Professor Heidi Christensen, Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of 葫芦影业, added: 鈥淎s 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: 鈥淎t 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, 葫芦影业, 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.鈥
If you or your colleagues would like to be involved or hear more about the WRCIC please .