Belfast Met partnered with Women in Business recently to run the successful Bring It On event, bringing educators, teachers, pupils and industry professionals together in order to encourage pupils to take an interest in IT Careers.
Now more than ever, there is an increased effort being made to encourage young women to enter the world of technology careers and to subvert the traditional stereotype of the industry. With the skills gap within IT still quite wide and more jobs to fill than qualified people to do the roles, there is an increased effort to promote the sector to young students as they are choosing their career paths.
Belfast Met recently pulled together to run an event with Women in Business that aimed to give students an insight into what the various local tech job roles entail. The event consisted of a series of talks and workshops, with leading companies such as Fujitsu, Liberty IT, Deloitte, CME Group, Allstate, Graffiti Recruitment and Kainos in attendance. Funding for the vent was provided due to the Department for the Economy, was able to play an important role in addressing skill shortages in NI.
The event was well received by student Niamh O’Connell, who said that “Bring it On was a great event which was very inspirational for young girls and I would definitely consider a career in IT after it.” Katie Hughes, another student in attendance positively commented, “I think the Bring it On event was superb. I have learnt so much about careers that involve IT and have developed an understanding of what it is like to work within IT. At the start of the event I was nearly certain that I did not want a career in IT but by the end I was certain that I did”
The fact that two girls who would not have considered IT prior to the event and now after hearing what the industry entails and what opportunities are out there for them would be keen goes to show the power of education. It’s hoped that introducing the sector to students from a younger age will allow them to develop a passion and an interest that could lead them to pursuing the viable career option, and this event suggested that this strategy works.
Source: Belfast Press Release – Sync NI
