UCL signs up to Avanade's STEM scholarships for women
The '15 for 15' programme will be available at three universities including UCL


Avanade has announced a new global scholarship programme to help women complete STEM degrees, with University College London among the first to take part.
The 15 for 15' initiative will award an initial 15 scholarships, to coincide with the firm's 15-year anniversary.
Applicants will be chosen based on a number of factors, but will be heavily slanted towards women trying to complete their degrees.
Avanade will allocate a total of almost $500,000 over the course of the programme, which it says will benefit at least 45 students across a period of five years.
It will also offer internships, mentoring and work experience as part of a dedicated support structure for recipients.
The first institutions to participate in the programme will be Britain's own UCL, alongside California State Polytechnic University and the University of Pretoria, based on their reputations for academic excellence in STEM fields.
Avanade CEO Adam Warby has championed the cause of getting women into tech.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
"I am personally committed to ensuring our people and our clients recognise the value of encouraging young women to pursue an education and a career in the IT sector," he said.
"Students who may not necessarily have otherwise had the opportunity to finish their studies will benefit most greatly from this ongoing scholarship programme."
California State Polytechnic University's president, Soraya M. Coley, said: "Our learn-by-doing philosophy fits well with the goals of Avanade's 15 for 15 programme.
"The hands-on experiences, internships and mentoring our five recipients will receive is as important as the monetary award. We know the true impact of Avanade's generosity will be realised after graduation when these women make positive changes in their respective STEM fields."
It comes a week after BT expanded its Barefoot Computing programme to teach IT skills to 400,000 primary school children in the UK by 2016.
Adam Shepherd has been a technology journalist since 2015, covering everything from cloud storage and security, to smartphones and servers. Over the course of his career, he’s seen the spread of 5G, the growing ubiquity of wireless devices, and the start of the connected revolution. He’s also been to more trade shows and technology conferences than he cares to count.
Adam is an avid follower of the latest hardware innovations, and he is never happier than when tinkering with complex network configurations, or exploring a new Linux distro. He was also previously a co-host on the ITPro Podcast, where he was often found ranting about his love of strange gadgets, his disdain for Windows Mobile, and everything in between.
You can find Adam tweeting about enterprise technology (or more often bad jokes) @AdamShepherUK.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovation
ITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job losses
News With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Young women are keen on pursuing STEM careers, but they’re still facing huge barriers
News From fears that STEM courses will be too demanding to concerns about family responsibilities, women aren't taking up training they'd actually like to do
-
It’s the end of the road for Women Who Code, following loss of “critical” funding
News The organization supporting women in the tech industry is being dissolved 13 years after it was founded
-
Five common barriers holding back women in tech
Women in tech still face significant challenges in the workplace
-
Report: Brexit and COVID to blame for lack of diversity in tech
News One in two surveyed respondents cited the two events as key factors in the failure to improve diversity in leadership roles
-
IT Pro Panel: Tackling technical recruitment
IT Pro Panel With the recruitment market shifting, how can businesses both retain their best staff and fill gaping talent shortages?
-
Australia allocates $6.7 million to advance women in STEM initiatives
News Women make up only 28% of the country's STEM workers
-
IT Pro Panel: What’s stopping diversity in tech?
IT Pro Panel The need for more diversity is well established - but we still have a way to go
-
Podcast transcript: Why techies shouldn’t become managers
IT Pro Podcast Read the full transcript for this episode of the IT Pro Podcast