Mentor Her - Fully funded early careers mentor programme for women in tech
MentorHER, the mentoring programme for women in tech by not-for-profit tech trade body Manchester Digital, has announced that its fourth cohort will be launching in partnership with CGI.
Announced on Ada Lovelace Day (October 14), the dedicated mentoring programme for women in tech, which is part of the wider award-winning Digital Her initiative, offers fully-funded places for 20 mentors and 20 mentees to deliver impactful and purpose-driven mentoring over a six month period.
The recently published 2025 Lovelace Report estimates that between 40,000 and 60,000 women left their jobs in the tech industry in the past year, with around 45% leaving the industry completely and the rest moving between employers. Overall, these departures are estimated to cost the industry an estimated £2 billion to £3.5 billion. With the digital and tech sector contributing £160 billion in gross added value (GVA) to the UK economy, the figures show that it’s essential to support women to remain in the sector and grow their careers.
Mary-Ann Walsh, Director Consulting Services at CGI, said: “As part of our commitment to growing the tech ecosystem in Greater Manchester and increasing diversity in the industry, CGI is proud to sponsor the MentorHER programme in partnership with Manchester Digital.
“By backing MentorHER, we’re helping to build a more inclusive talent pipeline while deepening our engagement with the North West’s thriving tech community - an important step in our ambition to drive long-term impact in the region.”
Emma Grant, Head of Programmes at Manchester Digital, added: “We’re beyond thrilled that CGI will support MentorHER with its fourth cohort of women. Representation matters and as a sector we need to ensure that women are encouraged not only to join but also feel confident and have a truly accessible opportunity to develop their career in the sector.
“This collaboration will help even more women across Greater Manchester access mentoring, guidance and the supportive community they need to thrive in digital and tech careers.”
MentorHER was launched in October 2022, and has so far seen 120 mentees and mentors, through three cohorts, on the programme. The aim is to build a community of mentees who will then ‘pay it forward’ to become mentors themselves and give back to the next generation of women joining the industry. Community is a huge part of MentorHER, with participants forging relationships not only with their mentoring partner but a whole network of women across Greater Manchester and beyond.
Manchester Digital recently won an award from the Power Up awards, by She Can Code, for the Best Tech Not-for-Profit, specifically for their work on the wide-ranging Digital Her initiative. On top of that, the Digital Her programme won the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year award at Computing’s Women in Tech Excellence Awards in 2024.
Digital Her was launched by Manchester Digital in 2018 and has been hugely successful in supporting girls and women with their tech careers. During this time, they have reached over 8,000 women; supported over 200 schools and colleges and built a community of over 400 ‘real role models’ who give up their time to encourage women to explore a career in tech.
Joining MentorHER
The programme will allow mentees to be matched with supportive and constructive mentors.
Mentors will receive mentor training and support, joining a peer support network. Ideally we’re looking for women with two or more years of professional experience. You don’t have to have been a mentor before.
Mentees will have access to a six month fully-funded mentorship opportunity to develop professionally, as well as joining peer support network. The programme will allow you to discover and explore your potential, goals and growth - whatever that looks like for each individual.
Complete this form to be the first to know when applications go live.
