A new partnership is set to transform the lives of black women across the North West and inspire their entrepreneurial ambitions in the tech sector by offering fairer access to digital skills training and career opportunities.

Innovation hub HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology, operated by IN4.0 Group, is partnering with socio-creative organisation Niyo Enterprise, to support its expansion into the North West and empower black women into tech careers.

While 17 per cent of women work in the tech sector in the UK, only around 0.7 per cent are from a black, African, Caribbean or black British background according to BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Women from a BAME background are also less likely to have leadership roles in the tech sector, despite having a higher level of education than other groups.

In a bid to challenge this gender diversity disparity, HOST based at Media City, is collaborating with Niyo Enterprise to break the barriers of entry to the tech sector facing black women to create a supportive community for them to access digital skills training and secure employment in the industry.

The inclusion and support of black women will be applied across all of HOST’s Skills City academies which will include Black Codhers, a specialist software engineering bootcamp, as well as two Black Disruptor programmes, a data science and project management course for black women and an XR bootcamp focused on building 3D and immersive technology skills as a Unity developer.

There is a huge demand from black women to learn new digital skills as Niyo Network’s Black Codhers bootcamp recently received over 3,000 applications from all over the world. As a result, it has upskilled 50 black women into software developer roles in high profile companies such as Citibank and KPMG.

This collaboration is part of HOST’s Skills City, a digital technology academies bootcamp dedicated to transforming talent diversity in the North West tech sector with a commitment to fast-tracking 450 people into digital technology careers every year.

Established in 2018, it will be the first time that Birmingham-based Niyo Enterprise expands into the North West alongside its not-for-profit arm, Niyo Network, which aims to equip and train black women who are unemployed or are at risk of unemployment.

HOST is working closely with employers and the CEO and co-founder of Niyo Enterprise Oyin Adebayo, to ensure that there are learning and employment opportunities available for black women across all of its programmes.

This includes FreelanceHER 100, a ground-breaking fully funded training accelerator for women working to launch and grow sustainable businesses in digital, creative, media and technology sectors.

Oyin said: “We are excited to be working with HOST and the wider Skills City co-operative to ensure that black women are part of pioneering change in the tech industry. Our major aim has always been to see as many black women as possible in high impact industries. We believe that with this partnership, black women would not just be able to dream but also create and thrive in the tech industry.”

Mo Isap, CEO of IN4.0 Group, operators of HOST, said: “We are proud to be working with Oyin and Niyo Enterprise to offer a range of opportunities and choices to black women in the North West so they can be fully supported throughout their journey into tech careers. Whether they are seeking a job in the tech industry, looking to upskill in digital or aspire to be a tech entrepreneur, we want to ensure that there are opportunities available for them here at HOST and across the region.

“Supporting diversity and inclusion and removing the barriers to entry to the tech sector is at the heart of Skills City. Our ambition is to continue to support women who remain largely underrepresented in the tech community, which is why in this exciting new chapter for HOST, we have committed that 50 per cent of all our learners will be women.”

International property and construction consultancy Gleeds has announced that it has been selected for the Cost Management Lot on Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) £88 million Professional Services Framework.

Bids for the four-year programme were invited across ten strategic lots and associated specialist sub-lots (A-Q), covering a range of services from transport systems to engineering consultancy provision and quantity surveying. The framework was originally slated to begin in 2020, however its commencement was postponed by TfGM as a result of the exceptional challenges facing the industry in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The latest incarnation of the Professional Services Framework is intended to provide an efficient, quick and compliant procurement route to help meet TfGM’s consultancy and advisory support needs as it works toward realising its long-term plan of creating an integrated, modern public transport network across the region. To that end, the services of successful bidders will be available for use by more than 20 local councils in the north of England, as well as Transport for the North, Nexus, and The Urban Transport Group, amongst other bodies.

Paul Knighting, head of UK infrastructure for Gleeds based out of the Manchester Office, said, “This is a significant win for our team in the north and I am delighted that Gleeds’ expertise and experience of working with a varied roster of clients in the infrastructure sector shone through during the highly competitive bid process. TfGM oversees transport and travel across Greater Manchester, home to the UK’s largest regional economy outside London and a diverse population of over 2.8 million people. It is vital that its transport system is efficient, able to support sustainable economic growth, and ultimately improves the quality of life for all by being accessible, affordable and reliable in line with the region’s wider Transport Strategy.”

As a result of its continued growth in the north, Gleeds has confirmed that Paul Mann is to join its senior leadership team as regional director for cost consultancy, covering the business’ offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle. Paul joins the company from Mace, where he spent 13 years looking after its northern cost consultancy offering, predominately focusing on commercial property and regeneration.

Regional director for the North of England, Brian McArdle, added, “Paul is joining the team at the ideal time, with the successful bid for TfGM, major Healthcare Project successes, new schemes underway for Nexus, and a further appointment under Homes England for the York Central Partnership recently secured, he joins an already buoyant team which is expected to continue to grow throughout this year and beyond. His experience and reputation in the region speaks volumes and I am certain that he will prove to be a valuable addition to the team, working with other recent senior recruits like Paul Knighting, as we continue to increase our presence across the North.”