Amazon is helping fund 24 women in the United Kingdom who are interested in tech. The company launched Amazon Amplify, a series of initiatives aimed at assisting underrepresented groups in entering the tech industry.
As part of the initiative, Amazon U.K. is also launching Amazon Women in Innovation Bursary, in celebration of International Women’s Day. The grant will fund 24 women, and each participant will receive £130,000 (about $170,000) a year to fund their startup.
“Diversity fosters greater innovation and helps raise the bar for customers, and having a diverse workforce is also just the right thing to do,” Fiona McDonnell, Director of Consumer Retail at Amazon, said in a statement. McDonnell also serves as chair of the cross-industry Women in Innovation Advisory Committee.
The U.K.’s tech industry has been on a steady climb. According to a report by Tech Nation, 25 percent of the world’s entrepreneurs say that they have two or more relationships in London. From 2014 to 2017, employment in the U.K.’s digital tech sector rose 13.2 percent; however, only 19 percent of workers are women.
Amazon Amplify’s greater goal is to increase the recruitment and retention of female Amazon employees. In addition to the Women in Innovation Bursary, Amazon is offering a degree-apprenticeship program, with public tours and workshops for children.
