Primo Toys has outlined its mission to inspire and empower girls in the world of coding in its latest bid to bridge the gender gap in STEM subjects.
In 2017, it was reported that women made up 23 per cent of the workforce in core STEM jobs in the UK, showcasing the imbalance in the sector.
While there is a positive trend year on year, with around 60,000 more women in tech in 2017 compared to the previous year, Primo Toys wants to the see the chance go global.
Now with International Women’s Day approaching this March 8, the toy firm wants to highlight how important this opportunity can be, and inspire more girls to get into coding.
To kick off the #CodingGirls campaign, the educational toy company is offering an internship at the Primo toys office in London, offering one individual the chance to gain hands-on experience with a developing ed-tech start-up.
Applications are now open and those interested are invited to apply on the website.
Valeria Leonardi, COO at Primo Toys, said: “It was through my daughter Olivia that I was involved in co-founding Primo, and she is still a constant inspiration to me.
“She reminds me of how important it is to support young girls and boys in learning how to become self-confident, aware and free of prejudice when it comes to deciding who we want to be and what we want to do to make a difference to the world.
“I come from a family of female pioneers and am proud to have been influenced by two grandmothers with university degrees and long careers, an aunt who is a leading scientist and a mother who worked as a Waldorf teacher.
“With this #CodingGirls campaign, we want to amplify the message and encourage parents to think about how their daughters can get ahead in STEM subjects.”
One of Primo’s founding principles is to create toys that are equally as appealing to girls and boys. It’s flagship toy, Cubetto, was launched as an early-age solution for the gender gap in STEM.
Leonardi added: “We are excited to hear from girls interested in the business side of the STEM industry, and to give them a boost at an early age in their career.
“Primo Toys is made up of around 50 per cent female employees, so we feel that we are leading by example when it comes to gender parity in the tech workplace.”
Primo Toys is looking to support various organisations during the campaign, including Stemettes, Finding Ada, Ada’s List and Token Man.
The company will also be at the Lab Live: Sci Art event at the institute of Imagination in London on March 10.