In 2017 we launched our first Made Tech Academy and since then we’ve trained and employed over 100 aspiring software engineers. We strive to create pathways for career growth that empower individuals to create change in society.

To amplify our social value, in 2023 we made the move into offering a Level 4 DevOps apprenticeship programme.

Shaping tech careers through apprenticeships

Apprenticeships open doors for people from all backgrounds, particularly those who may not have followed the traditional university route. Nurturing early career talent through apprenticeship programmes allows the tech sector to equip individuals with the technical, professional and soft skills needed to thrive – while creating tangible social value through a more diverse, skilled and equitable workforce.

UK digital skills and economic growth

The UK government sees apprenticeships as a key part of its strategy to boost productivity, increase employment and close the digital skills gap – all of which are core to improving social value.

Initiatives like the apprenticeship levy reflect a national push to promote alternative routes into high-skilled careers, especially in technology. Apprenticeship programmes like ours align with the government’s strategic goals by:

• offering high-quality apprenticeships aligned to Level 4 digital standards
• supporting career changers and underrepresented groups into tech
• promoting regional growth and levelling up by offering opportunities across England, not just in London

Apprenticeships play an important role in contributing to a stronger, more inclusive digital economy that helps shape the future of tech talent in the UK.

An apprenticeship designed for social value

Wanting to offer our apprentices something different, we take an industry-first approach. This means apprentices work on real-life, impactful client projects early in their journey, gaining hands-on experience alongside senior engineers.

By delivering real software to communities, apprentices not only gain a better understanding of users but also help increase social value by having a positive impact on real-world problems. Programmes like these shouldn’t just be about learning to code, they should always aim to deliver value into society.

When backed by structured support, mentors and a tailored progression framework, apprentices can create a positive impact in the public sector while they learn. It’s about developing the person, not just the skillset.

Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups

Apprenticeship programmes should always be designed to create meaningful employment opportunities, for all. By actively encouraging applicants from underrepresented backgrounds the tech sector can play an important part in making sure the services and products we design are shaped by people from all areas of society. This can include women in tech, ethnic minority groups, career changers and those without university degrees.

Traditional tech roles often require prior experience or formal education. This can disadvantage capable people who don’t have access to those opportunities. Removing that barrier to instead focus on potential, curiosity and drive is central to reaching many more aspiring individuals, while creating social value through the promotion of equal opportunity.

By creating inclusive access to tech careers and supporting people throughout their journey, apprenticeship programmes like this contribute to reducing inequality and promoting equal opportunity, delivering lasting social value in every sense.

Real impact in local communities

From week 12 of the programme, our apprentices are placed on real client projects. This is where they contribute to essential public sector digital initiatives.

So far that has included projects such as digitising patient records with NHS England and enhancing the consistency of energy compliance checks for building regulations with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Embedding apprentices in socially impactful projects and supporting their growth within the sector not only invests in them but also strengthens the digital infrastructure of the public services that communities rely on every day.

This approach delivers local impact and long-term wellbeing outcomes for people, places and the public sector – a significant and important driver of social value.

Social good beyond company walls

Following a successful Ofsted inspection, we’re welcoming our next 2 cohorts of apprentices. Our first group joined this week and the next cohort will be joining us in October 2025. We’re incredibly excited to support them as they begin their careers in tech.

We believe investments in apprenticeships like this go well beyond developing internal talent. They reflect broader commitments to driving long-term, positive impact and social value across the public sector, local communities and the wider technology industry.

Stay up to date with Made Tech apprenticeship news.

The post Tech for good: how apprenticeships can drive social value appeared first on Made Tech.

Q: Hi Bil, what led you to our talent team and building tech careers?

When I was younger I decided not to go to university. This took me to the agency recruitment world where I spent 5 years before transitioning to an internal recruitment role. 

I’ve realised in recent years that this is where I want to be – helping organisations like Made Tech make effective decisions. That’s not just through hiring but also how we build an effective culture of hiring practices. For me it’s about building skills, commitments and new frameworks that align with our hiring goals and vision. 

I began to realise that when you’re a recruiter, you’re 100% recruiting. When you work in talent acquisition, 25% of your job is hiring. The rest involves a lot of fun stuff like strategic decisions, helping people recognise their full potential and progressing careers. 

Q: You played a big role in hiring our apprentices, can you tell us a bit more about that?

One of the topics I’m very passionate about here is definitely our apprentices. Last year I was involved in building Made Tech’s first software engineering apprenticeship programme. Witnessing the growth and confidence of our apprentices since they started with us and throughout the programme is incredibly rewarding. We filmed a video with them when they first started, and it’s great to see how far they’ve come since.

It was a valuable project to be involved in. We started the whole process by defining clear goals and creating a structured timeline. To handle the large number of applicants we used AI tools for initial assessments – but we always kept a human-centred approach. This meant human review, coding assessments with our team and in-person immersion days. 

During the process I was delighted to see so many candidates with great learning potential and a real passion for using technology for good. It’s inspiring to me to see how all candidates really do bring their authentic selves to the immersion days and interviews – demonstrating their eagerness to learn and contribute to the team.

Q: What’s your approach to hiring new team members?

I don’t usually start by asking candidates what they know about Made Tech. I don’t think that’s authentic. I’m trying to find out what’s happening in their lives career-wise and what brings them to the interview. We want to make sure that we’re the right fit for you too. 

Q: Are there any topics that come up a lot during career development conversations?

I hear a lot about the work we’re doing in the public sector and the topic of tech for good has been a common trend as well. 

Candidates often ask about our culture, values and how we practice agile ways of working – both internally and with clients. Learning and development opportunities are also a common topic, with candidates interested in how Made Tech supports their growth beyond salary. 

We try to be as open as possible, our benefits are listed on our careers page and we’re always happy to provide more information.

Q: In your experience, what makes Made Tech stand out?

Without a doubt, it’s the people. The talent team at Made Tech is incredibly supportive and collaborative. They always create a safe environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute their best work. The leadership team is also highly supportive of the work we do and are great at fostering that culture of continuous learning and development.

If you’re interested in hearing more about our culture, a good place to start is our Life at Made Tech blog posts. The team frequently write about their experiences, what they’re learning and their career journeys.

Q: You’ve worked with a lot of career changers, do you have any advice?

The most important advice I can offer is to be curious and embrace a learning mindset. Ask questions, seek feedback and continuously expand your knowledge. Remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

Explore our careers page, blog and our case studies. That will help you gain a deeper understanding of our culture, values, projects and if we sound like somewhere you’d like to work.

Follow us on LinkedIn to learn firsthand about our team’s experiences and stay up to date on what our subject matter experts are talking about. For example, a great piece of content we released last year is full of helpful tips and guidance on what you need to know ahead of a software engineering interview.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to reach out to those of us in team talent directly if you have any questions or need reasonable adjustments during the application process. We’re always happy to help.

Q: You mentioned reasonable adjustments, is inclusivity something you’re personally passionate about?

Absolutely. Inclusivity is core to how we do things at Made Tech. Inclusivity is never ‘complete’. It’s an area we’re consistently looking to improve, so if you have any feedback please do let us know. 

So far we’ve taken several steps to make sure our recruitment process reflects that thinking. A couple of ways we do this is through our certifications and partnerships.

For example, we’re a Disability Confident employer. That means if you’re living with a disability, meet the minimum job requirements and if you’re comfortable doing so, we encourage you to let us know. That way we can progress you to the next stage of the process. This is something which I think is really awesome. I haven’t seen this being a regular practice at other businesses I’ve been part of.

Another thing which is pretty great is the communities we work with. We’ve partnered with many organisations over the years. A couple to point out are Coding Black Females and Tech She Can (our current charity partner of the year – as voted for by the Made Tech team). They offer sponsorships, talks and grassroots initiatives. I find the community-led approach to diversity and inclusion truly inspiring. 

Instead of relying solely on online tools and platforms, engaging directly with communities dedicated to promoting diversity in the workplace, like Coding Black Females, feels much more impactful and authentic to me. 

Events hosted by these communities are really great too. They give women who are looking to break into tech a space to network with organisations who want to close that gender gap – because there’s a challenge there, even today. 

Being able to have our women in the Made Tech team go to these events and advocate their own personal experiences to that community is great too. It’s especially encouraging to see our female tech talent sharing their experiences and knowledge.

Q: Any final thoughts on building tech careers?

If you’re passionate about using tech for good and making a positive impact on society, I encourage you to consider a career at Made Tech. We’re always looking for talented individuals who share our values and are eager to contribute to our mission.

If everything Bil said in this post was a green flag for you, take a look at our open roles. We’re looking for passionate people to help us make a positive impact in society.

The post Tech careers with purpose appeared first on Made Tech.

We’re lucky enough to have a community of thought leaders who actively share their insights and highlight the impact we create in society. From in-depth blog posts to engaging interviews, they’ve consistently shared their expertise. 

This March, we’re highlighting their contributions. Showing off the brilliant work of the women of Made Tech as a testament to their expertise, leadership and influence.

Women driving user-centred design

Building effective services means finding the problem and designing the right thing to solve it. A crucial part of this is putting users at centre. 

Over the past year, Made Tech women championed accessible design that does just this. During last year’s National Accessibility Week, Nicola, Ellie, and Mieka came together to write a piece on how to make sure the digital things we design, create and use everyday are built for everyone. 

Helena reinforced the importance of user needs – this time in technology adoption. In her post she reminds us that even trendy tools like chatbots require thoughtful design to truly serve society. Throughout she reminds us that good content design is fundamental to implementing a product that meets user needs.

This is a topic Jude is also passionate about. In her piece, she challenged the misconception that content design is only about finding the right words for your product or service. In reality it’s about driving much deeper to truly shape positive user experiences. 

And finally, Made Tech Academy alumnus Ciara, shared her honest account of how using humour makes her a better senior user researcher. And why fostering creativity and building meaningful user relationships means she can bring her whole self to work.

Women leading with expertise 

At Made Tech, our women thought leaders don’t just share opinions. They bring deep expertise, real-world experience and a track record of delivery. They provide practical guidance and advice specific to our work with the public sector.

Over the past year, our delivery director Laura has spoken about how to create services that not only meet citizens’ needs but also deliver benefits for organisations too. She’s also turned this into a brilliant webinar – more on that below. Continuing to share her insights, Laura also wrote about leaning on digital to deliver more with less. She explained why, with the government facing a growing ‘to-do’ list, digital remains the obvious answer.

Practical tips from the team is always a welcome topic, with Tess writing about identity in government. In her blog she explores the challenges that come with managing identity in government organisations –  from preventing fraud to protecting citizen data.

Kelly has a deep understanding of the challenges local authorities and housing providers face. Her recent housing report draws from extensive research and insights from conversations with our customers, housing leaders, and resident engagement groups. It explores how they have successfully tackled these challenges by implementing new technologies and processes. 

The journeys that shape us

Last year we launched Made Tech Insiders. This blog series is all about getting to know the people behind the roles. Through candid conversations with some of the women at Made Tech, we uncovered their motivations, the lessons they’ve learned and what drives them in their work.

We spoke to Sonia who explained how transferable skills from the public sector make the shift to private sector possible and rewarding, offering new challenges and opportunities for growth.

We also heard from Dani on the importance of bringing your authentic self to work. She shared how building confidence, especially in areas like public speaking, has been a challenge, but one she’s tackled through practice and a supportive environment at Made Tech. 

More recently we sat down with our new managing director, Vicki and got to understand why her passion is working alongside the public sector. She spoke about the improvement we can make to UK citizens and our communities, her leadership style and working “with great people to do great things.” 

Finally, we spoke to Tess, who gave us her perspective on leadership in engineering and the importance of creating safe learning spaces to foster growth. Her take on the value of work-life balance is a key part of her approach to sustainable career growth. 

With Insiders season 2 releases coming every 2 weeks, we’re excited to share lots more stories with you. 

Events and talks from women in STEM

Over the last year we’ve had a calendar packed full of events led with vision, passion and a desire for change. And the great news – you can watch them on catch up. We’re delighted to have been involved in events highlighting the importance of women in STEM. Many of these are hosted on madetech.com but also in collaboration with our partners:

• Tech careers unlocked: senior software engineer 
• Our never-ending tech and career growth paths: how much is enough?
• Career roadmaps: meet the women of Made Tech blog post and webinar
• Best practice: how to build digital services that deliver

Delivering positive impact 

Our community of women and their passion for inspiring the next generation of women in tech was reflected in our recent company-wide vote for our charity of the year – Tech She Can. Tech She Can works to close the gender gap in technology by inspiring and educating young women and girls to pursue careers in the industry. They partner with schools, universities and employers to create free educational resources and initiatives. 

Over the last 12 months the women of Made Tech have made significant and impactful contributions. As strong and supportive leaders with wonderful insights and passion for change, we can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

If you’re interested in joining a team with purpose take a look at our open roles. 

The post Women leading the conversation in tech appeared first on Made Tech.

Navigating my career and dyslexia 

I was diagnosed with Dyslexia at age 21 during my second year of university, back when I was studying Tourism Management. I had an interesting career from then on. I first dabbled in events. Starting my own company during my studies, then joining an events and wedding company. Facing 3 years in that role with no progression I needed a change. I was dared by my late cousin, Peter Cheung (who later became my mentor) to move to Singapore and start again. So that’s what I did. 

If one thing you needed to do in life was to get a job, how would you do it? Cousin Pete

Cousin Pete shared his wise words of advice to “get on with it”, and if all else failed I knew I could return home. During interviews abroad I would mention my Dyslexia, but found this often put my application straight into the ‘do not hire’ pile. I felt discouraged. 

I eventually landed an events role with the St Regis Hotel. I continued pushing and started to build my career, working for different luxury hotels and travelling across Asia. But something was missing. Through my connections I was offered an interview for a Business Development Manager role (which I had no experience in) but was recommended for. I thought, why not?

I got a call offering me the job just as I was about to board a flight back to the UK. It turned into a flying visit home and not long after, I relocated to Singapore. I was a Business Development Manager for 2 years with MCI Group where I learnt the art of storytelling. It wouldn’t be until 2019 when I returned home – with one bike, 3 suitcases and a laptop bag. 

Back in the UK but where to start?

When I was back home I didn’t know where to start. I had just shy of 10 years international experience – shouldn’t that make me more marketable? Following some much needed time with my family I landed a role at American Express GBT. One month in, the pandemic started and I was furloughed. I was frustratingly looking once again for a new role. I knew then I wanted something different, I just wasn’t sure what yet. 

I then joined the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) for one year. My time with BDA made me realise that working somewhere Dyslexic-friendly was really important to me. They had everything in place and the onboarding was seamless. They gave me advice to contact Access to Work – a brilliant government scheme that can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. I was also given handouts after my meetings detailing what we discussed and next steps. A new one for me, they also pointed me towards physical tools such as yellow tinted acetate paper that can help reduce visual stress. 

BDA supported me not only in the ways you might imagine, but they also helped me realise what I wanted to do in my career. I wanted to help people, not just in the private sector but the public sector too. I wanted to work somewhere that has the support and accessibility in place for anyone with Dyslexia. I knew that at my next company I wanted to create that legacy. 

In September 2022 I joined Diverse and Equal. A tech for good organisation that takes on people with no tech experience and trains them through an intense course. This is where I decided that a delivery manager role would suit my personality and what I needed out of a career – a role where I could help people. 

After completing the course at Diverse and Equal I eventually reached out to Made Tech. Ahead of my interview the People team asked me how they could support the process – as someone with Dyslexia, this was amazing to hear! I received the interview questions beforehand, making the whole process feel truly accessible. I felt like I had a fighting chance. The interview was smooth and friendly and honestly, one I really enjoyed. 

Spoiler – I was offered the role. My line manager and project line manager met with my Dyslexic trainer who then did a workshop that was open to the whole of Made Tech and had some of the great tips I’ve mentioned so far. I’ve been here for over one year now, so I must be doing something right. 

Tools and techniques I use

Making the decision to join Made Tech was a great one for me. With a supportive team I’ve been able to really find my space in tech. So here’s a few nuggets of advice that have been helpful to me along the way.

Firstly, be open about it. It can be scary as the worry of feeling judged is always there. But remember, when looking for a new role, interviews are 2-way. It’s as much about making sure an organisation is right for you, as you are for it. Keeping quiet about your Dyslexia or any other type of personal difficulty might cause you headaches later on. When in reality – they could (and should) support you from day one. 

Once you’re in your new role speak to your team about how they can support you or particular ways of working that really help your Dyslexia. For me that means receiving a point by point summary of all meetings. This way I can make sure I’ve fully understood everything that was discussed. I also find giving myself 30 minutes at the end of the day to plan for tomorrow and having my clothes laid out for the morning super helpful.

Now what would a blog post be without a helpful resource? Here’s a few final tools that might also help you if you have Dyslexia too:

• Otter AI – helps transcribe meetings in real time, record audio and more
• Speechify – this one is great for reading notes back to me
• Grammarly – the name says it all, this tool gives you options on tone of voice and sentences
• a dictaphone recorder is useful when meeting with clients, you can record the sessions and listen back to it later
• yellow tinted acetate paper is great if you find it helpful to print out paper, it helps reduce things like visual stress so you can focus easier (this also works online)
• an hourglass timer, although it may seem a little old-school – when the sand has all gone I take a breather and step away from my computer for a break 

Throughout my varied career and eventually finding my calling as a Delivery Manager, my Dyslexia is something I’ve had to learn to navigate. But one thing has always been clear to me – be honest and upfront. This is how you can make sure you have the right tools, techniques and most importantly, support, in place so you can do your job well. 

If you’d like to hear more insights into navigating career transitions and overcoming obstacles in the tech industry I’ll be at Agile in the City Bristol on 6 November!  

The post Dyslexia, delivery management and me appeared first on Made Tech.

Insights on digital inclusion

We strive to make sure the digital things we design, create and use everyday are built for everyone. In this post the team share their insights on digital accessibility. They’ll touch on valuable resources, experiences and lessons learned over their careers. 

Think accessibility first – Nicola Lohman, Senior Content Designer

By making things accessible for people with disabilities, everyone benefits. Did you know that 16 million people in the UK have a disability? But crucially this number doesn’t include people who may be disabled temporarily or disabled based on their situation. 

This is explained best in the Microsoft inclusive design kit. For example a person with one arm has a permanent disability. A person with a broken arm has a temporary disability. A new parent carrying a baby has a situational disability. This means that all 3 of these people would have the same needs when using a product or a service – so everyone would benefit from the same solution. 

At some point, even if we don’t have a permanent disability, everyone has benefitted from the same solutions used to help those that do. Common examples include the dipped curbs on pavements and automatic doors.

But it’s not just physical disabilities that affect the way a person interacts with products and services. People who are neurodivergent can also need alternative solutions. For example those who are autistic, have ADHD or are dyslexic may have difficulty reading information because of things like:

• jargon
• complex language
• a difficult to follow layout
• large paragraphs of text
• pop up boxes
• unnecessary images

By using these things in your digital content you make it harder for someone to read and understand the information. This is called cognitive overload. By avoiding using these things, you’re also helping people who may be:

• stressed
• in a hurry
• grieving
• distracted

And we’ve all been one of those things at some point in our lives. So when you’re writing or creating a service or product, remember to start with accessibility first. By doing this you’ll benefit everyone whether they have a disability or not.

Universal Barriers as a framework for accessibility – Ellie Bryant, Lead Service Designer

Accessibility is crucial when designing services. But especially so for government services as users don’t have the option to use a different, more accessible alternative.

It’s then no surprise that accessibility has come up as a consideration on all of the projects I’ve worked on at Made Tech. However, in my experience it’s often viewed as the domain of the interaction designer (despite being everyone’s responsibility). It is also usually only considered in the context of digital, screen-based accessibility. 

Until last year, I wondered how I, as a service designer, should best be ensuring accessibility in my work. Then I stumbled across the idea of Universal Barriers, a way of considering accessibility in a broader service context.

I was introduced to the idea as part of Services Week 2023. Which is a great annual event with loads of free online talks about all sorts of aspects of government services. Folks from the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) shared their thinking around the Universal Barriers.

Universal Barriers are a framework of 11 barriers to accessing services. It’s used to make sure services are fully inclusive for all users. And includes situations beyond understood areas of web accessibility and assisted digital support. The 11 barriers the framework explores in detail include:

• awareness: knowing that a service or aspect of a service exists at all, for example, a phone line to call for help
• enthusiasm: trying something new, asking for help or agreeing to a request
• access: to the resources that a user may need to use a service, such as a printer, computer, photo booth or witness etc
• time: to participate in the service, for example to gather information, fill in a form, wait for a web page to load or travel to an appointment etc
• finance: the financial resources to afford using the service, whether that’s a a reliable  internet connection or a bus to travel to a service
• evidence: the ability to provide the evidence needed to use a service such as a bank statement, photo ID or proof of address
• interface and interaction: the skills needed to use the interface or carry out the interactions involved in the service. This can include the ability to use a computer, talk face to face or handwriting ability etc
• comprehension skills: being able to understand written content, a website, form or signage used in a service
• self-confidence: users having the belief in their ability to understand the process or complete tasks
• emotional state: feeling psychologically strong enough to use the service
• trust: having the confidence that the people and technology involved in the service will be secure and reliable

What many people think of as accessibility (digital and web-based) would come under the ‘access’ barrier. But this framework goes way beyond that, considering all sorts of other barriers to accessing a service too.

A couple of great examples of Universal Barriers put into practice were shared during CDDO’s session at Services Week. They included the Ministry of Justice’s work for their HM Courts & Tribunals Service. I’ve also come across the Department for Education using Universal Barriers in their early years education work. Some suggestions for applying it in practice include using Universal Barriers to:

• inform research recruitment
• create discussion guides
• guide analysis of research insights and opportunities
• review a service and identify opportunities for improvement

I haven’t had the opportunity to apply Universal Barriers in my work yet. But it’s a really powerful way to build accessibility into more than just the digital screens of a service. 

Accessibility is about making sure your service can be used by as many people as possible, whatever their needs and circumstances. And that extends beyond the interface design to all the other interactions that make up a service too. 

For more information on Universal Barriers, you can:

• read about understanding all the barriers service users might face
• read Ute Schuberger’s piece which formed the basis of CCDO’s Universal Barriers framework
• join the cross-gov slack Universal Barriers channel: universal-barriers-community

Advancing accessibility in government digital services – Mieka Webber, Senior User Researcher

Digital technology is reshaping our daily lives. The importance of creating accessible services cannot be overstated. Making sure that all users can access and use digital services promotes inclusivity and equal access to information.

The UK government recognises the significance of digital services. It allocates substantial funding each year to improve and enhance its digital products. Part of this is following digital design standards and promoting WCAG guidelines and checklists. 

The great news is, there are lots of tools and public libraries available to streamline the design and development process. These standards are a valuable resource for creating accessible, public facing digital services. It’s worth noting that these mainly involve document reading, signing or online applications.

We do sometimes come up against challenges when working on internal systems and services. This is often tailored for employees rather than the general public. These systems require more advanced user interactions and complex data structures. For example, users may need the ability to view, sort, filter or edit data tables based on specific permissions. And each user has to have a unique subset of data or restricted permissions for enhanced data security.

In examples like this, existing custom libraries may not always meet our needs. And so we focus on innovative solutions to make sure users, including those with access needs, can  complete their tasks. A good example here is introducing visual indicators within dropdown menus to signify when a task is complete. There’s also the option to optimise screen responsiveness, this can support users who need access to multiple systems at once on a single screen. These are just some of the solutions we’ve used to enhance the user experience and improve accessibility to internal systems. And this is where research and automated accessibility testing (using tools like Axe) become vital.

Creating accessible services for government is especially important. Particularly when it comes to developing internal systems that support employment opportunities. We must prioritise the integration of accessibility and good design practices. This way we can build on established standards to create innovative solutions that cater to the diverse needs of all types of users. 

Commitment to inclusivity and accessibility drives my work. It’s an essential part of making sure that our services meet the needs of all individuals, now and in the future. 

If you’d like to read some more on this topic, we previously posted a handy blog post full to the brim with useful accessibility resources and tips. And if you’re interested, you can also find out more about user-centred design.

The post Accessibility in design: digital access and inclusion for all appeared first on Made Tech.

What are reasonable adjustments? 

Reasonable adjustments are the changes an employer makes to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace. These adjustments are made so people living with disabilities or physical or mental health conditions can do their job well, and are not at a disadvantage compared to their teammates. 

There’s no timeline on adjustments. They can be made at any time during your interaction with a company – right from your first interview through to the end of your employment and at any point in between. 

Reasonable adjustments can include many different things which we’ll dive into a bit later, but common examples include things like changing your working hours or sending emails and documents in accessible formats. 

What is ‘reasonable’ depends on each person and their situation. So it’s important that anyone making a request is involved throughout the entire process. To make sure any changes you request are reasonable, employers will consider if the adjustment:

• will remove or reduce the disadvantage you’re facing
• is practical and affordable
• could potentially harm the health and safety of others

While sometimes a requested adjustment may not meet this criteria, employers should always try and find other ways and alternative adjustments to support you. 

Adjustments you can ask for

One of the biggest challenges we see when it comes to reasonable adjustments is that people aren’t often sure what they can ask for. Here’s a starting point to understand some of the most typical adjustments. We’ve split them into 3 main themes that can support you in different ways.

Adjustments to improve the environment and company procedures can include:

• taking frequent work breaks
• doing part of your work from home
• reviewing job responsibilities and matching to your strengths
• having a flexible schedule
• making spatial changes in the office, like layout or seating arrangements
• changing the noise levels in the office, like wearing headphones
• changing the intensity of the lighting
• having access to a private office or dedicated space
• equipment like ergonomic chairs, sit-stand desks, foot-stools and ergonomic mouses
• flexible travel support for different types of transport

Adjustments can also include tools and technology, common examples are: 

• text-to-speech software
• speech-to-text software
• visualisation and mind-mapping software, like Miro
• specialist spell and grammar checkers, like Grammarly and Hemmingway
• dual screen or reading stands
• software to support organisation and time management
• changing the font or size of reading materials
• coloured overlays or printing reading materials out on coloured paper
• whiteboard, pin board and coloured post-it notes
• specialist training on using technological adjustments

And finally, adjustments can also mean your employer provides specialist coaching in different skills and abilities such as:

• memory
• organisation
• time management
• literacy and numeracy
• communication
• wellbeing

It’s important to make clear this isn’t an exhaustive list and there’s plenty more adjustments that you can ask for. Not every organisation will be able to provide everything we’ve listed above, but as we mentioned earlier, if there’s something an employer deems ‘unreasonable’ they should always find other ways they can support you. 

Changes we’re making at Made Tech

In the past we’ve hosted lunch and learn sessions around reasonable adjustments for the team, bringing in external speakers, Adjust. This helped us with follow-up ‘train the trainer’ sessions, where we could run knowledge sharing for our line managers and help educate the wider team. 

Last year, we also introduced a reasonable adjustment passport process. As part of this, reasonable adjustments passports can be used to record which adjustments have been agreed with a teammate. This avoids the traditional need to re-negotiate and repeatedly discuss reasonable adjustments every time a team member is assigned to a new project, role or has a new line manager. 

We know there’s always more to be done. In typical Made Tech-style, the learning is never complete and we’re keen to continue iterating this process. We’re still learning and we know there’s always room for improvement. 

It’s also useful to know

There’s lots of great information out there around reasonable adjustments that can help you understand your rights and where your employer can support you. If you’re looking for some more guidance, GOV.UK has information for workers with disabilities or health conditions seeking adjustments and Scope gives a great overview of what the process looks like. 

If you want to read more about reasonable adjustments in general, Access to Work and the Neurodiversity in Work Report 2023 are full of wonderful information for both employees and employers.

Reasonable adjustments are an effective and important way we can make sure everyone can do their best work. As an employer, making changes to policies, working practices, physical layouts and providing extra equipment or support when needed makes sure your workplace is an inclusive one. 

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please feel free to get in touch with your own advice, links or examples of where you’ve seen great work happening. 

If you want to read more about what we’re up to at Made Tech outside of our day-to-day projects, take a look at our Life at Made Tech blog posts.

The post Reasonable adjustments: for an inclusive workplace appeared first on Made Tech.

This year has been a very special Black History Month (BHM) as it coincided with some major milestones. 2023 is the 75th anniversary of Windrush and the NHS as well as the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Celebrating these milestones is only possible thanks to the contributions and efforts of the Black community.

Celebrating Black progress

Inspired by these events, I wondered how we could use technology to celebrate this journey. How might we connect with local Black-run businesses and address the issue that only 2-3% of the UK tech workplace identifies as Black? And how do we focus on the triumphs rather than the trauma in our history? On 13 – 14 October 2023, Made Tech held its first Blackathon.

For our readers who aren’t part of the tech community, during a traditional hackathon small groups work together on a technical solution to a problem statement or theme. We took this idea and made our theme “Celebrating Black Progress” – as a play on words, we called our event a Blackathon. We wanted to host an event that honoured the work of Black inventors, writers and activists that have made a significant impact on society through tech. Here’s how it went. 

Bringing the community together 

People from different disciplines including software engineers, designers, project managers and more came together to collaborate in 2 teams. They worked together to use technology to imagine and build what celebrating Black progress looks like.

The teams talked, sketched, ideated, user tested and coded their way through to the submission deadline on Saturday afternoon. Projects were scored based on their accessibility, impact, creativity and ability to celebrate Black progress.

Team GWB entered a mobile game best described as “Guess Who? meets Skribble.” An image of a historical person would appear on screen, players would then have to guess who it was or what they were known for based on the clues the host chose to reveal. You scored more points the sooner you guessed correctly and the host rotated after every round.

Team DWB took on the idea of ancestry and careers. Imagine you want to be a footballer and you’re curious about where to begin. Their idea “Dreaming while Black” places you in an interactive timeline that shows you people that have achieved that dream before you, but also signposts you to resources and activities to help you pursue it. It centres you in the middle of your journey, linking you to the past and future.

When the dust settled Saturday afternoon, GWB narrowly emerged as the winner but after 2 days of inspiring stories, naming a champion was simply the icing on top of a wonderful cake. Most importantly, over the course of the event we created a space where members of the Black community could tell their stories.

A huge success!

The official theme for this year’s Black History month was “Celebrating Our Sisters.” We wanted to include that in our event somehow and were delighted to work with local female-run companies like Whisk and Things and Earth to Roots throughout the Blackathon. 

We gave a moment for attendees to reflect on what it meant to have a space to create projects that allowed us to celebrate BHM in a way that resonated with us as individuals and as a company. Others shared that it was the sense of community and working with those you normally don’t get to that left them feeling inspired and invigorated. 

For me, the biggest takeaway from Made Tech’s first Blackathon was witnessing the start of something. If 20 of us can meet and develop ideas of celebration and hope in 2 days, what could we do with 40 or 100 days? The more of us that are in the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine – the closer we are to developing more equitable technology.

I want to say a big thank you to Made Tech for giving us the space to make this happen, and for the volunteers and attendees for believing this needed to exist. I couldn’t end this post without a special appreciation to the organising team – Kayleigh, Miles, Sen, Flo,Renny, and Cheryl. There’s a saying that goes “If you want to travel far, travel together.” Thank you for helping make the start of this journey possible.

If you’d like to read more about what the team have been up to, take a look at our latest blog posts on Life at Made Tech. 

The post Made Tech’s first Blackathon appeared first on Made Tech.

Why diversity matters 

The essence of the event lay in its celebration of diversity and the acknowledgment that representation matters. As we progress along in our own careers, being able to witness women of colour in high-ranking positions was hugely inspiring. It acted as a great reminder that anyone can achieve success like that  – no matter what level you’re at right now. One notable part for us was the importance of seeing people from all walks of life, reinforcing the idea that we’re in the room because we all belong there.

What we learnt

Over the day we attended many talks, but one that left a permanent mark on us was called ‘Shattering Ceilings with Grace: Perspectives from Black Senior Women Leaders’. Led by Mia Morgan, Felicia Asiedu, Pauline Miller and Zulieka Philips, the session explored their journeys as Black leaders in tech. 

The topic that resonated most with us was imposter syndrome—a struggle that reared its head even at the most successful part of their careers. Their advice was practical and transformative.

1. Know yourself so others can’t dictate who you are 
2. Recognise your strengths and celebrate them
3. Challenge negative thoughts by learning how to deconstruct what we tell ourselves and change it into something positive
4. Seek feedback and maintain a learner’s mindset but always remain humble be willing to learn

Our favourite takeaway during this session came from Pauline Miller who gave the advice to “Add “YET” to the end of your sentences. You may not know something YET, but you are going to!” 

Simply adding the word ‘yet’ acknowledges your current position, but also reinforces that you’re on the path to where you want to be. It encourages your mind to take on a more positive and determined outlook. A practical example is, “I’m not the best at using this toolstack, YET!”

You belong in the room

One theme that came up time and time again was affirming that we belong. The speakers urged us to remember that we are in the room because we deserve to be. We belong there. They emphasised the shift from self-doubt to self-assurance, changing internal narratives from “I can’t” to “I can”, “I am capable” and “I am good enough.”

Allyship and advocacy

Next up was the significance of allyship. The message was clear – individuals need to work on themselves and their organisations to be better allies. The panel discussed knowing when to step in and out of conversations and situations. They shared examples from their own lives to show how true allies affect change without being prompted. The speakers described an effective ally as curious, compassionate, adept at bridge building and amplifying diverse voices. 

Navigating your career Everest 

Tunji Akintokun, Head of Enterprise Solutions at LinkedIn also shared his insights on career growth. His advice included staying focused, agile, ahead of the curve, being a continuous learner and knowing when to ask for help. Tunji spoke about the need for mentors, coaches and sponsors as well as the importance of knowing when the skills of each would take your career to another level.

The future of tech diversity

Black Tech Fest was empowering and inspiring. For us it reinforced the idea that diversity drives innovation and that everyone has a place and purpose in the tech industry. Don’t just take it from us, here’s what our colleagues who also attended the event had to say.

“My favourite part was looking around and seeing an auditorium full of joyful, inquisitive and unapologetically Black faces. It gave me a real sense of community and belonging.”

Derek Baker, Software Designer

“I loved the ‘shattering ceilings with grace: perspectives from Black senior women leaders’ panel. It’s so rare to see even one Black female leader in digital organisations, so seeing 4 on stage and being surrounded by other driven Black women was an incredible feeling.”

Kayleigh Derricutt, Managed Services Principal

“I really enjoyed the atmosphere they created. Seeing so many Black faces, hearing familiar music genres and seeing food from different Black cultures at a tech conference left me feeling really energised afterwards.

Miles Egbuchiem, Designer

As we move forward, It’s important to remember the lessons learned while striving to be allies, advocates and lifelong learners. Together, we can shape a more inclusive and powerful future for tech. 

If you’d like to watch the sessions yourself, you can find everything on the Black Tech Fest Youtube channel. You can also read more about what the team have been up to by taking a look at our latest blog posts on Life at Made Tech.

The post Lessons from Black Tech Fest 2023 appeared first on Made Tech.

Neurodiversity is the diversity of human brains and minds. Someone who’s neurodivergent behaves, thinks and learns differently from what’s considered “neurotypical”. Some neurodivergent conditions include autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, social anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Communication, training and ways of working

Being neurodivergent isn’t a rare thing. At least 1 in 7 people in the UK are neurodivergent. At Made Tech, we know at least 15% of our teammates identify as being neurodivergent. The reality is, there are probably more. But not everyone will feel comfortable talking about it in the workplace. And that’s totally understandable. 

We just need to make sure we’re creating a space for people to share things if they feel comfortable doing so, and support our people in the best way we can. Let’s talk about some ways we can do that.

Communication

Look at how you currently communicate with the team. For example, working together virtually can be overwhelming for anyone given the number of different software and tools we use. Ask people what their preferred communication style is. For example, some people may understand and digest things better visually rather than in written text. Consider using tools like Miro to share information, rather than a word document. The benefits of communicating better don’t just benefit neurodivergent teammates, it benefits the whole team. You could also consider things like:

• speaking as clearly as possible
• using short sentences in emails and messages 
• avoiding using ambiguous language
• making sure there’s context and/or an agenda for every meeting invite

Training

Holding training sessions with people from across the organisation is so important. This way teammates will have a better understanding and awareness of neurodiversity and how to support people. We’ve done some training with an organisation called Adjust. We also did a company-wide lunch and learn with them, and separate training for our talent team and line managers. 

Ways of working

I encourage you all not to get too comfortable with your current ways of working, and don’t be afraid to challenge the way we work as a team if you feel something’s not right or can be done better. For example, ask questions like “does this conversation need to be had in a video call?” 

When we get too comfortable with one way of working, we’re not considering the impact it might have on others. We need to constantly adapt to make sure we’re truly working in an inclusive way. 

There are great resources out there that are underrepresented and underused that can help support teammates at work.

Free assistive technology tools  – Teams can use built-in tech software to help support reading and writing. 

Manual of Me – This is a document that helps people to communicate with their teammates, their preferred way of working and communicating. 

Writing tools – Use things like Grammarly and the Hemingway App. These tools help review spelling, grammar, punctuation, fluency and sentence structure.

The Pomodoro method – This helps to break the workday into 25-minute focus periods followed by five-minute breaks. We like to use a tool called Kaizen flow. 

Exceptional Individuals – This organisation does workplace audits on physical and virtual workplace environments. Their team assesses things like organisational culture, with a focus on fairness, inclusivity, diversity and support available to teammates. 

Slack communities

We’ve got some great Slack communities that I encourage everyone to join! One’s called x-neurodiversity, and there’s a wider community channel called cop-equity-diversity-and-inclusion. We also have more specific channels, like x-adhd-support, and a more private, closed group for neurodivergent teammates.

These channels are a space for people to share their experiences, talk about challenges they face, share resources with each other, and support others. It’s been awesome seeing these channels grow! 

Improving our processes

We need to continuously improve the way we do things to make sure we continue to meet people’s needs. Here are some things we’ve been doing to make sure what we’re doing in the neurodiversity space is best practice.

The hiring process

We’re always looking at ways to better support people when it comes to making reasonable adjustments in the interview process.

It’s not enough to say “we can provide reasonable adjustments”. One thing we’ve learned is to always ask neurodivergent candidates how they’d like to be supported in interviews. But also, some people who need reasonable adjustments don’t know what they can ask for and what’s available to them. For example, we show interviewees the type of support we’ve given others in the past. This can look like giving extended time in interviews or sending questions in a video chat so people can see them written down.

We’re also looking into how we can better support neurodivergent interviewers. It can be tricky for anyone doing lots of context switching throughout the day. So, for example, we want to make sure our people have the time and resources they need to prepare for interviews. We’ll keep you updated on our plans!

Neurodiversity in Business

We’re a Neurodiversity in Business member. It’s a forum and industry group for organisations to share good practice for neurodiverse recruitment, retention, and empowerment. It helps our efforts to improve support for neurodivergent teammates, and encourage more to work with us. We’ve gone to some of their events where people from different industries, including neurodivergent leaders, have shared with us what best practice looks like in this space. We also find their members’ hub super useful. There are lots of helpful tools and resources like guides for individuals, HR teams, and job seekers. 

Meeting diverse user experiences

At Made Tech, we build public services that make a positive impact on society. Many people rely on these services day-to-day so making sure they’re accessible and meet diverse user experiences is crucial. We need teammates with different perspectives to help make this happen. We strive to make sure Made Tech’s an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace. This covers neurodiversity, diversity in race, sexuality, gender, disability, education and experience. 

If you’re thinking about joining our team, learn more about us and see our open roles. If you want to find out more about how we’re working to create an inclusive environment for everyone at Made Tech, read our latest insights on Life at Made Tech. And why not subscribe to our Made Tech Insights newsletter to get new blog posts straight to your inbox? 

The post Neurodiversity and work: supporting our teammates appeared first on Made Tech.

Every person that’s gone before me and achieved something great has inspired me. My list of people who’ve inspired me is huge, and it includes a few of my peers. I’m particularly inspired by the stories of these individuals, and how they overcame challenges. They’re ordinary people who’ve made something of themselves and paved a way for others in the midst of setbacks and adversity. 

In honour of my vibrant culture I want to shine a light on some modern day achievers that inspire me. 

June Angelides MBE  – She started a child-friendly coding school for mums during her maternity leave called Mums in Technology. 250 women were taught how to code in the space of 3 years. She was named by the Financial times as the 6th most influential BAME technology leader in the UK and by Computer weekly as one of the most influential women in technology. 

Bozoma Saint John – Bozoma is an American businessperson and marketing executive. She was chief marketing officer and first Black C-suite executive at Netflix. She’s respected and admired for her achievements. She’s an advocate for diversity in leadership within organisations. 

My own journey of exploration

If I were to describe my own career journey in one word it would be exploration. I began trying different areas and industries to find where I could flourish. I’ve worked in the private sector, with roles in marketing, banking, and accounting. My love for helping people started when I did an internship as a marketing executive at Johnson and Johnson. It gave me an insight into the fulfilment that came from working on brands that made a difference to people’s lives.

After that, I worked at various organisations but I wasn’t able to get a job that fulfilled my desire for helping people until I started working at the NHS as a configuration analyst. I always had a secret passion to work in tech but never really knew which path to take. Maybe you could call it imposter syndrome, but I felt unqualified for the position. I was working with developers and users every day, helping to solve technical problems and through this, my career as a business analyst was formed. 

My love for helping people was being nourished and I was being exposed to technology solutions on a daily basis. I was making recommendations for the design and implementation of technology that was transforming clinical decision making and patient care. After years of building a career as a business analyst working within the NHS, I met Made Tech. 

One of things that attracted me to Made Tech was the emphasis on diversity and inclusion. It was echoed in the content I read on the website, all the way through to my interview. Now being here I know it’s embedded in the culture. It is not something that’s just said as a headline. It’s nice to go to meetings and be in a room, albeit virtual, with a diverse group of people and be comfortable to be yourself and let your uniqueness flow. There’s a lot more to be done to share that externally. 

Joy and feeling accomplished 

To me, achievement isn’t necessarily about awards and accreditations I’ve received. It’s about the joy and feeling of accomplishment you get after a successful delivery, or when a project we’ve been working on has gone live. 

The feedback from users on how the technology we’ve built is making their life a little less challenging makes me proud. I’m a problem solver by nature and therefore relish in finding solutions. My last notable project was on helping to digitally transform a maternity service. Seeing the outcome of my work as I spoke with the midwives on the ward, and saw how easily they were able to do things now made all the hard work worth it.

The post Black History month: the power of sharing our stories appeared first on Made Tech.