Programme
jINC
Providing work experience insights and careers coaching to boost prospects in STEM for Dutch young people from backgrounds of socioeconomic disadvantage
Supporting Swedish students from underrepresented backgrounds to explore tech careers
F1RST was set up to address the significant barriers to social mobility in Sweden for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic minority groups, among others. For example, students with graduate parents are three times more likely to go to university than those without, and students with foreign backgrounds are two and half times more likely not to complete upper secondary education than those born in Sweden.
F1RST addresses these challenges by providing targeted support through workshops, mentoring, and work experience. The organisation was founded in 2022 as a partnership between the Stockholm School of Economics and the Daniel Sachs Foundation, and became an independent non-profit in 2024.
The Hg Foundation’s grant of £530,000 is enabling F1RST to integrate tech-focussed workshops into its school programme and launch a dedicated tech programme for university students, reaching more than 1,000 young people over three years. Additionally, funding from the Foundation is supporting F1RST to improve their data monitoring and impact measurement capacity, supporting them to better evidence the outcomes they are achieving for young people.
The tech industry is facing a critical need for more talent with diverse perspectives and skills. We are thrilled to partner with The Hg Foundation to ensure that students from underrepresented backgrounds in Sweden can envision themselves in the future of tech — and for the industry to find the talent it so urgently needs. This support will enable us to expand our reach, develop targeted programming, and equip our students with the confidence, skills, and networks they need to succeed in a rapidly changing job market. Together, we are not just opening doors — we are redefining who gets to walk through them.
