London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

GCHQ seeks to increase number of female coders to tackle threats

GCHQ seeks to increase number of female coders to tackle threats

UK intelligence service funding ‘nano-degree’ courses in effort to improve diversity in technology roles
Britain’s intelligence services want to boost the number of female coders in their ranks, warning they need to improve diversity to tackle threats ranging from foreign states to child online safety.

GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency, is funding 14-week “nano-degrees” in data and software to help women who might have previously been put off coding to make a career change. The agency celebrates the birthday of Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the poet Lord Byron credited by some as writing the first computer programme in the early 1840s. But in 2022 only a third of staff at the agency are women, and fewer are in technology roles.

“We have been working hard to increase that number so we have more diverse teams and better get across the threats we need to today,” said Jo Cavan, the director of strategy policy and engagement at the agency, which has bases in Cheltenham, London and Manchester.

GCHQ’s missions include counterterrorism, serious and organised crime, countering hostile states and cybersecurity. Cavan said counterterrorism mission teams that have improved their gender balance have been performing better as a result.

“We haven’t got the right mix of minds to get across some of these threats,” Cavan said. “If you look at China, for example, and how technology is moving east and China is looking to impose non-western values on technology, there is some really important work for us to do there to make sure we are at the forefront of shaping those international technology standards and norms. So it is important to have a diverse team looking at those threats and the opportunities that come from some of those technologies.

“We know that if we get the right mix of minds it will give us a competitive advantage and that’s why we talk labour diversity as being mission critical.”

The agency is working with training organisation Code First Girls, which is also teaching coding to women under arrangements with security contractors, including BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. Many participants in the programme are women in their late 20s and early 30s deciding to switch careers into technology, said Anna Brailsford, the chief executive of Code First. A recent survey found 80% of women who had gone through the scheme said a career in technology was neither mentioned nor encouraged while they were at school.

Women remain significantly underrepresented in digital technology roles, making up just 18% of workers, according to the most recent Office for National Statistics data.

Brailsford said that with defence intelligence systems increasingly using artificial intelligence and machine learning to replicate human decision making, the importance of reducing bias in the way those systems are designed is crucial to gaining a security advantage.

In a recent GCHQ paper on the ethics of artificial intelligence, the agency states: “In using AI we will strive to minimise and where possible eliminate biases, whether around gender, race, class or religion. We know that individuals pioneering this technology are shaped by their own personal experiences and backgrounds. Acknowledging this is only the first step – we must go further and draw on a diverse mix of minds to develop, apply and govern our use of AI.”

Mivy James, the digital transformation director at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, said: “While we have seen some changes in the right direction over the past few years, women are still very much underrepresented in the tech and security/tech industry. It is only through a diverse workforce that we can work more effectively, particularly in the security space, where skills like creative problem-solving are key to adapting to ever-changing threat landscapes.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×