HAC100 will run their second ever All-Female Youth Hack in Manchester at Auto Trader's event space on the weekend of January 26th and 27th!

The All-Female Youth Hack is designed to encourage young ladies to begin learning how to think like a developer, and to inspire them to consider a career in tech. It will be mentored by volunteer software engineers, mostly female, who are working in the industry.

It is no secret that the tech industry suffers from a diversity problem, and one aspect of this problem is the under-representation of women. It's crucial that the people building tech are representative of the people who will be using it, especially as tech is now so deeply embedded in our society that it all but defines what it means to be human.

As a coding school, Northcoders believes it shares responsibility for ensuring that a diverse pool of talent is available to help build the tech of the future. Our goal is to help the North of England compete on the global stage, and we don't think that's possible without addressing diversity in the tech workforce – and we want to see a future where young women feel not only excited by and keen to get involved with, tech, but also one where they feel they can get involved.

The organisers were particularly keen to run another all-female hackathon when they discovered that young ladies find more confidence and are more engaged at women-only hackathons. Events like this provide the perfect opportunity for them to be inspired by female role models in the tech industry, who can help them understand some of the different routes into digital jobs and help them realise how achievable and rewarding these careers can be.

As fans of HAC100's hackathons and regular attendees ourselves, it was an obvious choice for Northcoders to decide to sponsor this particular event.  We have confidence that it will be, as ever, an enjoyable event – but more than that, one that we hope will be the spark that inspires some young women to choose a fulfilling and rewarding career in tech.

The weekend will begin with introductory coding exercises for those who have never coded before. They'll then choose from separate challenges set by the Coop and Thales, which they'll solve using their coding and digital skills. Prizes are awarded for teamwork, communication, learning and the final working hack – so it's not all about the code!

On Sunday afternoon, participants will show off their creations in a Show & Tell before awards are announced.

The event is open to all young women aged 11-18 in teams of up to 4, and no prior experience is required.

Sign up for Hac JR All Female Youth Hack in Manchester

Want to take part? Book your place today and start your hackathon adventure! Want to be a help? Volunteer as a mentor and be a part of something truly incredible.