Home Office
Inspiring tomorrow’s female tech leaders: the Home Office, Rio Ferdinand Foundation and Phoenix Software partner with local school to deliver impactful workshops and mentorship.
As part of its social value commitments under a major Home Office contract, Phoenix Software (Phoenix) partnered with the Home Office, Rio Ferdinand Foundation and Microsoft to deliver a bespoke technology and employability programme for young girls in Greater Manchester. The initiative was designed to help address gender imbalance in technology careers while supporting young people who may face barriers to confidence, aspiration and future employment opportunities.
Through the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Phoenix worked with Fairfield High School in Tameside to support a group of 10 Year 7 girls who had been personally nominated by their teachers for the initiative. Throughout the programme, the girls developed new digital and coding skills using App Lab, gaining hands-on experience in app design and development. Alongside their technical learning, all participants achieved an accreditation in Self-Confidence and took part in targeted workshops focused on public speaking, communication, and presentation skills.
Key facts
- Project type: Social Value and Community Engagement Initiative
- Partners: The Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Microsoft, Home Office
- Participants: Ten year 7 girls from Fairfield High School, Tameside
- Programme duration: February – April 2026
Solutions and Activities
App development and coding using App Lab
Digital skills training
Mentoring from Phoenix employees
AI workshops and debates
Microsoft Copilot activities
Workplace safari experience
Speed networking with technology professionals
Public speaking and presentation training
Level 1 Open College Network accreditation in Self-Confidence
In partnership with
Phoenix’s contract with the Home Office includes delivering meaningful social value outcomes that positively impact local communities. While these commitments provide measurable value beyond technology services, the Home Office was keen to see and demonstrate the real-world impact being created through the partnership.
The school put forward participants who showed significant potential, but had limited exposure to technology careers or female tech leaders. The initiative was designed to build their confidence, communication and public-speaking skills, while opening their eyes to the myriad of careers available to them in the technology sector.
The challenge was to create a meaningful social value initiative that delivered a genuinely impactful experience that would broaden horizons, build confidence and encourage more young women to consider future careers in technology.
Phoenix collaborated with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Microsoft and the Home Office to design and deliver a four-week digital skills programme centred around app development. The girls worked in teams to design and build their own app concepts using App Lab, supported by weekly mentoring sessions delivered by Phoenix specialists.
Alongside technical learning, participants took part in workshops focused on communication, presentation skills and self-confidence. Every participant completed a Level 1 Open College Network accreditation in Self-Confidence, helping to reinforce the programme’s emphasis on personal development as well as technical capability.
The programme culminated in a showcase event at Microsoft’s office in Manchester, where the students presented their app ideas to representatives from Phoenix, Microsoft, the Home Office and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. The event provided a workplace safari experience featuring:
- AI debates and emerging technology discussions
- Microsoft Copilot activities
- Laptop repair workshops
- Career insight sessions
- Speed networking with technology professionals
- Female role model presentations from across the technology sector
By combining practical technology skills, mentorship and direct employer engagement, the programme provided a real-world introduction to the opportunities available within the digital sector.
Benefits (outcomes)
All participants completed confidence-building activities and achieved a recognised accreditation, helping to improve their communication, presentation and interpersonal skills. Feedback demonstrated high engagement and overwhelmingly positive experiences among those who took part.
“It was so fun, everyone was really nice and I enjoyed it so much!” – Student
Participants gained hands-on experience of coding, app design and emerging technologies.
“It was really good and it helped me develop my communication and people skills” – Student
Since the girls worked with technology professionals from Phoenix, Microsoft and the Home Office throughout the experience, they were able to explore a variety of technology and non-technical careers, educating them on the breadth of career options available to them in the future.
The programme connected the girls with professionals working across the technology sector, who also gave talks about their careers in the industry, providing access to relatable role models that would otherwise have been difficult for them to access.
“It was very fun to work with people from different tech companies!” – Student
The initiative enabled the Home Office and Phoenix to demonstrate tangible social value outcomes delivered through their partnership, creating measurable community impact while supporting broader objectives around skills development, inclusion and future workforce diversity.
Looking ahead
Phoenix continues to deliver social value initiatives through its customer partnerships and will seek further opportunities to engage young people, strengthen digital skills and support under-represented groups into future technology careers.
Are you looking to maximise the social value of your technology investments?
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