BJSS, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise-winning IT and Business Consultancy, has reinforced its commitment to community development by further improving its award-winning Corporate Social Responsibility programme.

This ambitious strategy will see BJSS partner with local community organisations in each of its UK and USA locations, representing a significant development of the Company’s objective to encourage diversity in the digital sector and to improve the long-term prospects for underrepresented groups.

Mike Buck, Leeds-based BJSS Managing Director, said: “Our CSR programme shows how businesses and local organisations can collaborate to make the technology sector more inclusive. By extending our award-winning programme – which combines funding with pro-bono support - to all BJSS locations, we will inspire even more young people in underrepresented groups to learn more about technology, and ensure that they are not excluded from the digital future.”

The partnerships will deliver several initiatives at community level, each supporting BJSS’ social responsibility themes of Youth and Technology. Examples include:

Glasgow

In partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre and Digital Skills Education Limited, BJSS will support young people aged between 12 and 14 from areas of Glasgow where socioeconomic barriers to participation are typical.

Through a series of digital workshops, participants will learn the fundamentals of computer coding and use Agile techniques to quickly build prototypes of their ideas. They will learn the importance of testing their solutions, and the challenges of combining hardware and software. Additionally, BJSS will gift a micro:bit to each participant enabling them to continue to develop their skills and inspire them to take advantage of Scottish Government-funded digital education pathways.

Dr. Gillian Lang, deputy director of science at the Glasgow Science Centre, said “The need for initiatives that help inspire and empower young people with digital skills is becoming more critical and apparent. We are delighted to be working with BJSS and Digital Skills Education Ltd on this exciting summer project that will do just that. The partnership brings together a unique blend of excitement, STEM learning and relevance that will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people in Glasgow.”

London

Partnering with the London School of Mathematics and Programming, BJSS will fund scholarships for 13 to 17 year-old schoolchildren to study Robotics during the 2019/2020 academic year. Robotics is an exciting subject which lies beyond the current school curriculum and beneficiaries of BJSS’ scholarships will be guaranteed places in the 2020 Robotics Triathlon to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they develop.

Additionally, BJSS has agreed to fund and provide pro-bono support to the 2019 Robotics Triathlon. This open platform contest places no constraint on the types of controllers, construction sets or languages and is open to any child aged between 7 and 17.

Anastasia Stone, director and founder of the London School of Mathematics and Programming, said: “We are really excited by the opportunities that BJSS is providing for children to study programming and robotics. Any child can now take part, at no cost, in our summer Robotics Triathlon. The new BJSS Robotics scholarships are a game-changer for children wishing to study this important subject. Educational robots are expensive and up to now classes in this vital subject might have been beyond the reach of some families but BJSS’ generous support will make classes available to children who might otherwise not have the opportunity to study a subject so key to the future of mankind.”

Leeds

In partnership with Leeds Libraries, BJSS will sponsor a series of events that will enable less advantaged young people from the Leeds City Region to learn about the myriad roles and opportunities in the technology sector. The workshops will be supported by creative digital makers and professionals from BJSS, in addition to library collections and resources, and they will focus on coding, design, film, wearable tech and more.

The first event - IT Eco-Hack for Families - will see children work closely with their parents and siblings to actively find innovative technology solutions to the world’s biggest environmental issues.

Andrea Ellison, chief librarian at Leeds Libraries, said: “Leeds Libraries are very excited to be working in partnership with BJSS to bring an exciting offer of creative tech events to young people and families across Leeds. We hope that this will inspire the next generation of digital professionals and reach young people who may not normally engage with technology. This is a great example of Leeds City Council’s Inclusive Growth Strategy in action, showing how everyone can contribute to the city’s growth with the private sector supporting community growth and activity.”

Manchester

Partnering with Manchester Digital, BJSS is the headline sponsor of Digital Her – a programme that aims to tackle the shortage of women employed in Manchester’s digital and technology industry.

The initiative works closely with schools across Manchester's 10 boroughs to inspire more than 1,200 young women to consider a future within digital and technology. It demonstrates the breadth of roles and opportunities that exist and provides the practical skills and experiences they need to make informed choices.

Digital Her achieves these goals by introducing young women to real role models and mentors from across the Manchester Digital network. In addition to our fiscal sponsorship of Digital Her, key female role models from BJSS provide mentorship and inspiration through interactive workshops.

Katie Gallagher, managing director at Manchester Digital, said: “We’re delighted that BJSS is a dedicated partner of our Digital Her Roadshow which is gaining momentum across the region. BJSS is incredibly passionate about and committed to encouraging more young women into technology - we’re harnessing the power of their real role models and their insightful and interactive workshops to share this with our future technologists and innovators. Through BJSS’ support, we’re helping to create more confident and curious young women who we hope will become our early tech talent in the future.”

For more information about BJSS’ Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, please visit bjss.com/community