Job board Monster this morning launched a Tech Charter, which aims to increase the diversity of the UK tech workforce.

Speaking at the launch near London’s Silicon Roundabout, Monster president Andrea Bertone said the aim was to establish a mission and goals to increase diversity in the sector and “to help companies in the tech sector begin to address the growing digital skills gap and address diversity”.

More than 1m tech workers will be needed in the UK by 2020, he said, adding only 17% of the current tech workforce was female.

Sinead Bunting, Monster vice president marketing, said while the charter was Monster’s initial idea, it had been working with other companies since April to get to this soft launch stage.

Those partners include recruiter Michael Page, tech company S3 Group, and organisations like STEMettes and CodeFirst Girls, which help encourage women into the sector. 

Bunting implored companies of all shapes and sizes to sign up and help shape the charter ahead of the full launch in June. 

Come June, those companies and any further signatories will be asked to make a formal commitment to the charter.

Commitments under the charter include:

• Implementing the Rooney Rule – each interviewee panel, where possible, to include at least one female candidate

• Explore industry-wide initiatives to build a tech talent pipeline of the younger generations, including scholarship programmes

• Provide an annual diversity profile of tech workforce and interviewee panels and initiatives.

Best practice guidelines outlined include avoiding the use of gender-coded words, considering the removal of need for specific university degrees, increasing job flexibility, and making sure workplace culture was not male-orientated.

• Also this morning, Edinburgh-based tech recruiter Be-IT announced it was funding a scholarship, worth £4.5k, for an “economically disadvantaged” student to study at CodeClan, Scotland’s new digital academy.