An interview with everywoman finalist … ‘Professor’ Jeni Trice, Get with the Program

Although from a technology background, Trice initially started her career in medical school before taking a degree in philosophy until a serendipitous turn found her working in technology, where she is now combining her unique experiences to inspire the next generation of tech innovators.

The loop to coding

After completing a degree in philosophy, Trice entered a graduate training scheme for PwC as an IT consultant, and it was here that she realised that a diversity of voices, backgrounds, and thoughts led to better results.

“PwC were quite forward thinking, in terms of diversity … and I found I enjoyed the teaching side of things. So, I became an SAP consultant and began teaching. I did that for around 20 years whilst also having a family and balancing work and life.”

Trice’s career as an SAP trainer and consultant enabled her to train lots of people on a variety of projects, from programming languages to enterprise architecture. However, it was her children going to primary school which set her on another teaching trajectory.

Witnessing the struggles of teachers and seeing the potential in children who might not naturally gravitate towards computing, whether that is due to cultural expectations or resource limitations, she realised that “Every child deserves the chance to unlock their potential in the digital world.”

It is this sentiment that became the core mission of Get with the Program and the transformative impact it set to achieve through education.

An interactive experience

Get with the Program uses engaging, interactive theatre to teach coding concepts to 5–11-year-olds. The initiative is particularly focused on inclusivity, aiming to ensure that a lack of tools or income does not become a barrier to learning and understanding technology.

“We’ve created a series of unique coding adventures which capture the children’s creative imaginations with a blend of storytelling and performance. We take them on an exciting, experiential journey during the course of their normal school day.

“Each adventure includes a streamed show featuring Jeni as ‘Professor’ Trice and her female co-star AL the Robot – short for algorithm – and some fun follow-on activities.”

This refreshing blend of interactive theatre and coding is designed to captivate young minds and make learning both accessible and enjoyable.

"We wanted to break the stereotype that technology is only for a select few.”

Through this dynamic storytelling and role-playing, her initiative breaks down complex coding concepts into digestible, relatable narratives, ensuring that children from all backgrounds can see themselves as future technologists.

"We're programming a robot to make healthy lunches ... and if there's a loop in the algorithm, the robot will walk in a loop around the table."

It is this demonstration of how physical representations of computing concepts can make the subject matter more tangible and engaging for children, ensuring that everyone’s learning style is included. This approach also extends to empowering parents, peers, and teachers, enabling them to grasp and support the learning journey whilst also perhaps learning something themselves.

Inclusivity is universal

An inclusive timetable

Ensuring that everyone can get the best out of the experience, Trice has guaranteed that the offering is fully flexible for both its team members and for parents.

“We've got a policy where we fully support flexible working hours, typically school hours, term time, but that really depends on lots of people's roles. We have some members of staff who might have hidden conditions, and we ensure that they feel fully supported … We also love working with military spouses, and they require quite a lot of flexibility too.”

An inclusive workforce

“We are fully female led and managed, and that’s not to say we're not happy to be inclusive, but it's just how we are. We like to look at developing career paths for people who join that aren’t from a tech background. We give them tech-based roles and encourage and train them into that role … It opens their mind to something that they hadn't thought they’d be good at …  As the tide rises, you want everybody to have those opportunities to rise together.

Digital inclusivity

Digital inclusivity is sewn into the fabric of Get with the Program.

“Our activities don't require expensive equipment. We do use programming. We're using software solutions, particularly Scratch, but we also make it so it's fully available where there are less funds for expensive equipment.

“The children act out the role of being the robot, and by using this robot in this way, you take programming out of the conceptual and make it physical, and that helps the penny to drop. Digital inclusivity is key here. It's about ensuring that those who don't have enthusiastic role models themselves get the opportunity to see that even if they don’t have lots of hardware to do it, they can still learn computational thinking and feel that it's a possibility that’s open to them.”

By making their programmes accessible without the need for expensive equipment, Get with the Program ensures that all schools can participate, fostering an environment where every child can explore the wonders of technology.

Inclusive role models

Role models are delicately weaved into the stories Get with the Program tell, reflecting the normalcy of working with different people from different backgrounds and cultures.

“Everything’s aligned with the computing curriculum, and we highlight inclusive role models whilst showing how computing can be used in the real world– a winning combination.”

“Our shows feature a female ‘professor’ (that’s me!) and a female robot as the star of the show – so we directly role model women in tech to young girls, and challenge stereotypes in that way. We want to normalise the visibility of females in tech and show that women have had and continue to have starring roles in tech … We also highlight role models from under-represented groups in each one of our shows so children can see how they were equally part of the history of computing.”

A global audience

During lockdown, whilst adhering to safety protocol at the time, Trice and the Get with the Program team, in collaboration with the Winchester Science Centre and supported by STEM learning, filmed a coding pantomime called ‘AL the Robot and the Three Bears’ which is available to purchase via the Get with the Program website and went out at Christmas 2020. The global interest that this garnered is a particular highlight for the ‘Professor’.

“It went viral, it was completely free to stream, and we had almost a quarter of a million children around the world watching it, which we were astounded by. It was just so exciting … It was in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the US, Estonia, all sorts of places. We made it available for the UK, and STEM Learning marketed it for the UK, but the whole thing just went crazy. It was amazing.”

An everywoman ‘Tech for Good’ nomination

Reflecting on what the everywoman Tech for Good award nomination means to her, ‘Professor’ Trice shares: “It’s hugely exciting for me, and for all my team at Get with the Program – I’m honoured to be amongst the finalists, and also delighted that Get with the Program has made a difference and is being recognised in this way.”

However, the accolade doesn’t stop at the pride of being nominated – it also stands as a platform to help reach even more people as well as showcase women leading the way for future generations.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to help us reach as many children as possible, as the more businesses and schools that hear about us, the better.

“And it’s fantastic to be able to shine a light for all women in tech – a win for one of us is a win for all of us.”

Support for the Program

To achieve their goal of bringing coding adventures to schools across the nation, Get with the Program collaborates with a range of exceptional, culturally aligned business sponsors. These partners, including Bupa, which generously sponsors their free Bupa Coding Days three times a year, are pivotal to Get with the Program’s success. Alongside Bupa, companies such as Schroders, Harrington Starr, Intelogy, myAko, and Cielo have also joined the programme’s mission, providing support and resources.

This collaborative effort ensures that Get with the Program’s innovative education is accessible to all children. Through her work, Trice not only aims to inspire the next generation of technologists, she is also building a more inclusive, diverse, and creative future for the tech industry.

“The aim is to inclusively inspire the tech innovators of the future, so they can one day lead the way in solving the world’s biggest challenges.”

Looking towards the future, Trice is optimistic about expanding Get with the Program's reach, both in terms of content and geography. With aspirations to design shows for secondary school-aged children and extend their corporate partnerships for international expansion, the potential for growth is immense … and Trice's advice to women and young girls considering a tech education:

"Go for it! Don’t allow anything to hold you back."