Social enterprise has already signed up a number of local businesses as members of its inclusivity push as it continues its work to address the chronic shortage of women in the digital/tech sector. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool city region digital and tech firms are being asked to join a movement to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces.

Social enterprise Liverpool Girl Geeks has already signed up a number of local businesses as members of the new initiative and they will in turn encourage their commercial partners to pledge to push the diversity agenda.

Active Profile, Mando, Interconnect/it, Doris, Reading Room, Igoo and Uniform are all on board with mission which looks to address and imbalance in the North West tech sector where just 19% of jobs held by women.

Liverpool Girl Geeks was established in 2013 by Jo Morfee and Chelsea Slater with the primary aim of addressing this imbalance and has run initiatives such as an academy for girls aged 14 to 17 to encourage them to consider careers in tech.

In 2016 the organisation launched a company membership scheme, which was designed to create a business community of local companies who care about diversity in the workplace.

It enables companies to work closely with one another and share good practice. The team at Liverpool Girl Geeks provide services to the members to help them tackle some of the issues that they face in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

The pledge which Liverpool Girl Geeks created in collaboration with its members is a way of formalising what the group have achieved over the past year. It is focused on keys areas including recruitment processes; equal pay; senior or board level representation; a gender balance on speaker panels.

Nick Howe, the managing director of one of the members, creative agency Uniform, said: “If we as a business and industry are serious about increasing the gender balance and tackling the digital skills gap, we need to continue to support organisations like Liverpool Girl Geeks who are making an impact.”

For more information visit www.liverpoolgirlgeeks.co.uk or email hello@liverpoolgirlgeeks.co.uk