Programme to help 24,000 UK school students gain invaluable tech and employability skills.

London, United Kingdom, 12th October 2023: Apps for Good, a UK based non-profit organisation focused on improving the digital and essential skills of underrepresented students, has established a £735k three-year partnership to launch their latest programme in association with The Hg Foundation, a grant-giving charity with a focus on removing barriers to education and skills in technology.

The App for Social Action programme is an innovative app-development course, delivered by teachers over seven sessions, mapped to the computing curriculums across the UK, and with the opportunity to interact with Industry Volunteers.

The programme will reach up to 24,000 state school students aged 11-14 in 600 schools across the UK - the largest reach of any of the Foundation’s partnerships to date. In addition, part of The Hg Foundation’s grant will support an evaluation of the programme, enabling further development and improvements for greater impact in the future.

Apps for Good, an organisation founded in 2010, provides free tech innovation courses to schools and gives teachers ready-made education content, so young people from all backgrounds can develop digital and essential skills to create a brighter future through technology. Almost 253,000 students have now benefited from Apps for Good courses since its inception, with the majority of young people studying in schools facing challenging circumstances.

Natalie Moore, CEO, Apps for Good, said: "We know that technology can help address big social challenges and is most successful when it’s created by those with lived experience. That’s why, with the support of The Hg Foundation, we are reaching the most disadvantaged young people in our school community and giving them the skills and motivation to become part of a new, diverse generation of purposeful tech innovators."

The Hg Foundation was formed in 2020 and is backed by Hg, a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses. It supports programmes which help under-represented groups aged 11 upwards to progress through the education and employment pipeline into jobs in the technology industry. The Foundation provides funding and operational support to charitable schemes across the UK, US and Europe where measurable, long-term and scalable impact can be demonstrated.

Dawn Marriott, Partner at Hg, said: “The Hg Foundation’s vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background. To achieve this, it’s essential to show young people from under-represented groups that tech careers can be for them. Apps for Good has done incredible work in this area to date and I look forward to seeing how our partnership can make an impact for thousands of UK students.”

Chloe William, Associate at Hg, said: “Marking our 5th partnership of 2023, the App for Social Action programme will be the largest reaching partnership of the Foundation to date, aiming to support over 24,000 students in the grant period. The programme gives students practical coding experience, builds their presentation, teamwork & leadership skills, and provides access to real-world professionals from the tech industry. We hope we can empower students who may not have had an interest in STEM or a career in technology, to consider a new range of opportunities and possibilities available to them.”

About Apps for Good:

Apps for Good computing courses give students the skills and motivation to shape their future through technology, while giving teachers the support and confidence to pick up and deliver high quality content and resources. We are an education charity committed to offering an opportunity for all, especially those from under-represented groups. Each year our courses benefit almost 30,000 young people. Thanks to the generous support of our partners, as well as volunteering their industry expertise, our courses are 100% free to schools.

Read more about our impact on our website: www.appsforgood.org

About The Hg Foundation:

The Hg Foundation’s vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background. It does this by supporting education and employment-based programmes across the UK, USA and Europe where it can demonstrate measurable, long-term and scalable impact and make a difference to those that need it most. To date it has committed $17m to programmes that will reach over 15,000 young people and adults from under-represented backgrounds. The Hg Foundation is registered Charity no. 1189216. Find out more at https://www.thehgfoundation.com