Encouraging girls to train in ICT

ICT is, wrongly, often seen as a male dominated environment and one of the biggest challenges the industry faces in the coming years is to avoid a skills shortage by recruiting more female workers and encouraging girls to embrace related subjects at school.

Recent figures released by e-skills show that women account for only 18 per cent of the IT and telecoms industries, despite 47 per cent of the UK workforce being female.

And it seems that if this is to be rectified then efforts need to be made to attract girls to IT at a young age as currently they are losing interest in the subject at school and never regaining a passion for it.

Figures show that females account for just nine per cent of those taking computing A-Levels at the moment and this figure is dropping further year after year.

The key to tackling this issue, experts have suggested, is to try and make IT more interesting and engaging by showing the wide range of roles it encompasses and also teaching it in conjunction with other subjects to demonstrate that IT touches so many parts of life.

Girls in ICT Day

In April the second annual International Girls in ICT Day was held with the aim of empowering women in IT and promoting gender equality within the sector and a number of events were held across the globe to mark the occasion.

Over the next three years a number of steps will be taken to further develop this initiative, including the appointment of special Girls in ICT ambassadors and the development of the Girls in ICT web portal so that it includes details of IT scholarships, training programmes, awards and courses which may be of interest to girls wanting to develop a career within the industry.

Commenting on the scheme, International Telecommunications Union Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré said: "In today’s world, there are far more jobs in ICTs, and career opportunities that rely on ICTs, than all the other jobs put together.

"There is a global skills shortage which amounts to the most extraordinary opportunity for girls and young women.

"These are exciting and engaging jobs that will really make a difference in every sector of the economy – from farming to healthcare, or from aerospace to education. ICTs are fun, challenging, and have a major impact in every part of our lives."

School projects

And while these global initiatives will no doubt play a large role in getting girls interested in IT it is important that steps are also taken on a more local level.

One school in Northern Ireland recently took steps to tackle the issue head on and set up a Computer Club for Girls.

Holy Trinity Primary School in North Belfast is one of 40 schools in the region which are running such afternoon clubs to help get young girls interested in and acquainted with computers from an early age.

Department for Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry, told 24 Dash: “The ICT sector is very important to the success of the NI economy and I support this initiative which aims to encourage young girls to consider this sector for a future career.

"Research shows that 92 per cent of those participating in the Computer Clubs 4 Girls said they would consider studying ICT at GCSE, A Level or degree level, and I hope that some of the participants here today will enjoy a career in ICT in the future."

Teacher feedback on the schemes has been positive so far and it is hoped that the club will have a demonstrable impact on the number of girls going on to develop a career in IT.

And for those who are beyond school age, it is never too late to develop an interest in IT and you may even be able to train in an area which complements your existing skill set.

Whether your interests lie in finance, media, marketing or education, there is sure to be a link to IT somewhere and a course which will help you get to the position you want.