US tech giant backs UK diversity scheme despite Trump DEI drama  – UKTN

American tech giant IBM is backing a UK state-run plan to increase diversity among cyber workers, despite pressure from the Trump administration to scrap DEI schemes. 

IBM has agreed a partnership with the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to provide the online platform for the CyberFirst Girls competition, which aims to encourage young women into tech careers. 

CyberFirst Girls is a programme for British schools that provides cyber challenges in fields such as cryptography and AI to build digital skills in girls between the ages of 12 and 13, promoting a more diverse and gender-balanced industry. 

DSIT said improving diversity in the British tech sector is a “key priority”, with women accounting for just 17% of the UK cyber workforce. 

“If we’re going to keep the UK safe from the threats we face online, then we need to build a diverse workforce which is reflective of every community in the country,” said Minister for Cyber Security and AI Feryal Clark. 

“By partnering with IBM to deliver the next edition of the CyberFirst Girls Competition, we’re driving forward our plans to do exactly that – building up the skills of young girls across the country and nurturing the next generation of UK cyber leaders.” 

The partnership comes amid a fierce backlash against measures supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the Whitehouse. 

Rolling back DEI programmes has been a major ambition of Donald Trump’s second presidency and has already led to diversity backtracking from tech firms like Google, Meta and Amazon. 

The anti-DEI pressure has also had an impact on British companies with strong ties to the US market, including pharma giant GSK, which paused its diversity activities last month. 

IBM has been an outlier so far, with its DEI and inclusion pages still present on its website. 

This is in spite of explicit calls from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank and IBM shareholder that has demanded it cuts its DEI programmes. 

The renewed support of tech diversity in the UK from IBM could be seen as a sign the more than a century-old company is holding firm on its progressive practices, while younger tech firms back down. 

Read more: US roll-back on DEI is golden opportunity for UK tech 

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