Gina Kelly
Communications Pillar Lead, Connecting Women in Technology
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that technology has been the driving tool behind every businesses ability to continue operating and performing in a socially-distanced society.
The world has changed irrevocably in the last four months. How we live, work and play, and most importantly, communicate, is now almost entirely dependent on technology. And this means that the demand for skills in every field of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is going to extensively multiply over the coming years as industries across the globe now understand the need and benefits of digital transformation.
Therefore, the need to address both the skills gap and the gender gap in the tech sector in Ireland is paramount. Connecting Women in Technology (CWIT) is a network of over 20 of Ireland’s leading technology companies, which is committed to encouraging and promoting women in STEM at all levels of their education and careers.
We need to showcase STEM opportunities from primary school, to career level
We work with schools and teachers through programmes like Digital Futures, Teen Turn, the STEM Internship programme and the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition to encourage young girls to develop their interest in STEM. From there, we work with universities and organisations to help ensure that they continue on this journey and have the female role models before them to continue to be inspired and motivated to succeed.
I love working in technology, because it is ever-changing, ever-advancing and always offering new and exciting opportunities.
For the past seven years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with young students on the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and what is interesting is that in all those years the number of girls submitting projects to the competition has outweighed the number of boys.
But we are not seeing this trend translate at third level and beyond. We need to shine a brighter light on females in the tech industry and encourage more women to strive for senior roles by taking away the barriers that are presently preventing them from succeeding. If there is another positive outcome of this COVID-19 crisis it is that it has proved that parents, and mothers in particular, can successfully work from home and not feel guilty or compromised between being a parent and being successful in work. If we can take away the barriers we’ll create more diversity at the leadership table, a fact that is proven to drive more revenue, more innovation and more diversity of thought.
Every company will become a technology company in the future
The way we use technology to enhance how we live, work and play means that more and more the demand for skilled professionals in the field of tech is growing exponentially.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this transformation towards a truly digital society which means that very soon, every organisation will need to become a technology company in some respects and that offers limitless possibilities.
I love working in technology, because it is ever-changing, ever-advancing and always offering new and exciting opportunities. I am proud of the work that all the CWIT member companies are doing to support the world in becoming more technology enabled and putting the advancement of females in their organisations at the forefront of their corporate agenda.
To find out more about Connecting Women in Technology visit www.cwit.ie