Accelerate Action: Empowering Women in Tech

Celebrating International Women's Day 2025

International Women’s Day is a time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater gender equality. This year’s theme, Accelerate Action, highlights the urgency of breaking down systemic barriers that continue to hold women back.

At the current rate of progress, full gender parity won’t be reached until 2158—five generations from now. That’s far too long.

Empowering women in STEM and tech careers is a crucial step towards accelerating gender equality. That’s why we partnered with Code First Girls (CFG)—to provide opportunities for women and non-binary people to break into tech.

Why We Must Accelerate Action

The gender gap in tech isn’t just about fairness—it’s about unlocking potential. Diverse teams perform better, innovate faster, and create more inclusive solutions. Yet, women in tech still face barriers to entry, fewer leadership opportunities, and gender bias in recruitment.

By investing in women, we’re not just shaping individual careers—we’re shaping the future of the industry.

Driving Change Through Our Code First Girls Partnership

The tech industry remains male-dominated, with women making up just 26% of the UK’s tech workforce. By supporting initiatives like Code First Girls, we are actively working to close this gap and create a more inclusive, innovative industry.

Through our CFG partnership, we sponsored 4 individuals on free, intensive courses designed to upskill them for careers in technology. These courses ranged from 16-week degrees in data, software, full-stack development, and product management, to 4-week CF+Masters courses in DevOps & Cloud, Cyber Security, Mobile App Development, and more.

For many of these women, Code First Girls was a life-changing opportunity, providing them with the technical skills, confidence, and industry connections needed to transition into tech. We’re incredibly proud that four of these talented individuals have now secured roles at So Energy, where they are applying their skills, growing in their careers, and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM.

Here’s what they had to say about their journey’s so far.

Career Transformation & Opportunity

"As an NHS midwife, breaking into tech without a coding background felt impossible. The CFG programme changed that by providing structured learning, hands-on coding, and an incredible support network of like-minded women. In a competitive job market, CFG’s free courses, career pathways, and employer connections were invaluable. It gave me the skills, confidence, and industry exposure to land my first tech role. Thanks to CFG, I proved that it’s never too late to start again!"
- Amal, Graduate Software Engineer

Breaking Barriers & Representation

“Being part of the next generation of women in tech means stepping into a space where women haven’t always been represented. For me, it’s about breaking stereotypes and showing that success in tech isn’t just for a certain group. I want future generations to see themselves in roles they once thought were out of reach. Increasing representation isn’t just about more women in tech; it’s about creating a fairer, more creative future for everyone. It’s about ensuring that everyone has the chance to succeed.”
- China, Graduate Software Engineer

Support & Community

"The support from So Energy and the wider CFG community has really helped me grow in my role. When we first joined, the People Team arranged meetings with women in tech roles to offer advice and answer our questions. Connecting with other women from our course at our CFG graduation in October was great, and we had Jason from the People Team cheering us on. It gave us a strong sense of community and a feeling of pride for what we had already achieved, which has been motivating me ever since!"
- Grace, Graduate Software Engineer

Future Aspirations & Advice for Others

"For women considering joining CFG or embarking on a career in technology, my advice would be to explore this avenue if you have a keen and eager desire to learn and contribute to the tech industry. There are a multitude of opportunities, and so there’s likely to be a path that suits your interests, whether that’s DevOps, Data Engineering, AI & Machine Learning, or Full-stack Engineering. Code First Girls has been a great starting point for many of us seeking a career change from all kinds of backgrounds. Regardless of your educational or professional background, you can always bring valuable insights and contributions to your team and your work."
- Eleni, Graduate DevOps Engineer

Looking Ahead: Our Commitment to Change

International Women’s Day reminds us that progress isn’t automatic. It requires bold, decisive action.

At So Energy, we are accelerating action by:

• Expanding our partnership with Code First Girls to support even more women entering tech.
• Creating mentorship and networking opportunities for women in STEM at So Energy.
• Advocating for better representation in leadership roles within the energy and tech sectors through our involvement with The Energy Leaders Coalition, POWERful Women, and TIDE.

Join the Movement

Want to be part of the change? Discover how you can get involved in Code First Girls' programmes here.