Following a successful ICT Career Day held on 6 July at the Microsoft Innovation Centre, hosted by Microsoft to encourage students to take up a career in ICT, Microsoft and MITA have pledged to join forces on a series of collaborations with the aim of bridging the digital divide amongst students and specifically to increase female presence in the ICT industry. During the same event, Microsoft and MITA held a series of talks delivered by local Female ICT Professionals targeting young females.
“We are witnessing an ICT gender gap. Whereas the ICT industry contributes an average of 5% to the national GDP – one of the highest rates in the EU – on average only one in three of our ICT graduates are females, while just over one third of the gainfully employed in ICT are females. This gender gap needs to be bridged in order to strengthen the country’s ICT industry and offer more job opportunities to the increasing amount of female students who would like to pursue a career in IT. One way of bridging this is by making ICT more attractive to our youths, especially our young female students,” said Louise Mifsud at Microsoft Malta, who organised the ICT Career Day.
A number of young female students aged sixteen and over as well as university students who had the opportunity to meet leading local ICT organisations to understand their business and the career opportunities they are offering attended the ICT Career Day. A number of female ICT professionals were also present, sharing their personal career experiences to encourage young females pursuing a career in ICT.
“We know what the ICT industry is all about and we would love to find a job in this sector because we are growing up surrounded by this world and we want to be part of it even more,” said a 17-year-old student. “Unfortunately, we know of other students like us who are being discouraged, sometimes even by their own parents who encourage them to take up careers that in the future, would allow them more time for the family. This is unfair. Why do we have to choose our career based on a decision that we might take or not take in 15 or 20 years’ time?” said the student.
Another 16-year-old student noted that schools must also do more to entice students to consider an IT career. “We have witnessed career events at our school where the home economics stand is big, attractive and therefore all buzzing with activity and then, the ICT stand is squeezed in between other stands, giving the impression that ICT is a dull and unattractive option for us girls.”
The outcome of this event was loud and clear. If the will is there, Microsoft will find a way. Through its global programme DIGIGIRLZ, Microsoft Malta will now be teaming up with MITA to promote ICT careers.
The ICT Career Day was one such event organised in collaboration with the DIGIGIRLZ programme. It saw the direct involvement and collaboration from a number of companies who work closely with Microsoft, namely Systec, Kinetix, Computime, Megabyte, iMovo, Demajo Group and Ice Malta who met the students and spoke to them about the opportunities that are available to students and on what it means to work in the ICT world.
“Being able to host these students within the right environment offered by the Microsoft Innovation Centre, meeting these students and listening to their ideas and learning more about the aspirations they want to fulfil was a great experience for us all,” said Malki Tiwana from MITA. “This is why we are now looking forward to embarking on a joint collaborative activity between MITA, Microsoft and the female students.
DIGIGIRLZ focuses on four key actions to help bridge the gender gap, namely reaching middle and high school girls with tools and programmes, partnering with key organisations and top academic institutions to actively engage undergraduates and post-graduates in the field of computer science, raising awareness of the importance of events and mentorships and providing opportunities in computing.