Minister to address event to tackle gender gap in technology

Scotland’s Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science is to deliver a ministerial address highlighting the importance of tackling the gender gap in technology at a dedicated conference at the Strathclyde Technology Innovation Centre on Wednesday 29 March.

Ms Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP will join representatives from industry, education and public sector at Tackling the Technology Gender Gap Together 2017, an event to share good practice and support organisations to encourage more females into digital technology.

The interactive and practical event will show individuals and organisations how they can take action to support women at every stage of the talent pipeline, from school to employment. The event is open to all and suitable for educators, employers and organisations working at all stages of the pipeline. A hub event will take place in Inverness on Thursday 30 March.

It follows the launch of Tackling the Technology Gender Gap Together (TTGGT), an informative report into women in tech in Scotland commissioned by the Digital Technologies Skills Group and completed by Edinburgh Napier University.

The report found that women account for 18 per cent of those in digital technology roles in Scotland, with the gender gap in the talent pipeline starting at school.

It identified a prime opportunity to tackle the skills gap and attract more women into digital technology roles through targeted intervention and on-going support at every stage of the skills pipeline, from school to employment and retention.

Actions in progress include greater and improved use of role models in schools, extending the reach of technology into other subjects, promoting the benefits of gender parity and flexible workplaces, and supporting employers to attract, retain and promote female participation.

Delegates will hear from schools, tech clubs, colleges, universities, employers and organisations who have all been successful in engaging and supporting females into digital technology. There will also be the opportunity to take part in one of four interactive workshops.

Evelyn Walker, chair of Digital Technologies Skills Group’s Gender Work Stream and UK & Ireland Project Management Lead for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will open the event.

She says: “This event is an opportunity to share real world projects, tactics, tools and success stories which will help more individuals and organisations to get involved in tackling the gender gap.”

“Research indicates that there are a lot of females who are open to the idea of working in tech. To turn that willingness into a real increase in the number of women in our sector we need to reach, support and inspire them to take the next steps.”

Presentations, panel discussions and workshops will be delivered by: Ayrshire College, BCS Women, CAS Ltd, Education Scotland, Equate Scotland, FanDuel, FDM, HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise), J.P. Morgan, QA, SmartSTEMs, St Kentigern’s Academy, Wick High School.

A hub event in Inverness on Thursday 30 March will focus specifically on how to attract and retain women in the technology workplace and onto digital technology related courses at College and University. Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from speakers from the Glasgow event as well as a taking part in a round table discussion to share best practice and network with businesses from across the North of Scotland.