Building connections and breaking barriers for women in defence
Sometimes, all it takes to inspire someone is a community that understands their challenges and believes in their potential. For those who find themselves underrepresented in their chosen career, that community can be hard to find.
At a recent Women Empowering Defence’s (WED) Inspire Young Women in Tech event in Birmingham, a group of early in career female Leidos employees got a sense of how it feels to be surrounded by others who understand what it’s like to develop your career in a male-dominated field and industry.
“From conversations about gender imbalances in the workplace to hearing the strategies of how other women have navigated their careers, I left feeling inspired and connected to others who share similar experiences and challenges,” says Cara Wallace, a technical graduate apprentice at Leidos UK. “The event allowed me to showcase my skills through a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style challenge while affirming that our voices matter and we belong at the table.”
Beyond the chance to learn from the experiences of women who have already made their way in the defence industry, the event involved hands-on problem-solving challenges, providing an opportunity for attendees to develop and test out new skills in a supportive environment.
“My 'wow' moment came when the panel emphasised that stepping out of your comfort zone is essential for growth,” says software engineer Lauren Lawson. “This insight inspired me to push my boundaries by volunteering to present our group’s solution for a challenging problem to a panel of judges. I learned many soft and technical skills from this event that I plan to incorporate into my life and share with others.”
Several other attendees echoed this sentiment, expressing how they will carry what they learnt into their daily lives. Still, feeling seen and understood by those around you shouldn’t be a one-off event.
At Leidos we’re committed to increasing diversity and representation in our workforce through our graduate and apprentice recruitment and training programmes. That’s not just a social value goal; it's a business imperative.
The digital skills gap is estimated to cost the UK economy £63 billion a year, and closing it requires thinking creatively to recruit a broader array of talent from beyond traditional channels.
One example is our partnership with the La Fosse Academy, which democratises access to technology careers through the provision of a free nine-week course in full-stack software engineering, leading to the opportunity to secure a two-year industry placement.
Read our case study with LA Fosse
Between 2021 and 2024 we’ve taken on 31 La Fosse associates, 96 per cent of whom have now moved into permanent roles at Leidos. Twenty-five per cent of those are female, compared to an industry average of just over eleven per cent, while 56 per cent are from ethnic minorities and 85 per cent come from lower-income backgrounds.
Beyond closing the skills gap, technical graduate Val Johannesen points out that this diversity of talent is also crucial for moving behind one-size-fits-all solutions in order to better anticipate and meet a diversity of customer needs.
“I have a passion for taking a human-centric approach in technology,” she says, “Making sure that we develop solutions that serve a diverse group of people is hugely important to me, and I'm so glad to see this as a priority among many of the women I've spoken to.”
