12/04/2019
Corecom Consulting helps to bridge tech gender gap
It is well known that the number of working women in technology is significantly lower compared to other UK sectors. Only 17% of those working in the UK technology industry are female, with 10% of those in a leadership position*
Female leaders across Yorkshire including Burberry, Lloyds Banking Group, EE, Sky Betting and Gaming and the University of Huddersfield, participated in industry research conducted at WITBoss; an annual award-winning event for female leaders in technology. This revealed that 65% of female tech leaders said that they think that their team is gender diverse. What’s more, 57% said that over the next five years, having more female Senior Managers and Directors within a company would encourage women to take up technology roles.
Ann-Marie Gilbert, Digital Coach and Trainer at Google Digital Garage, delivered an engaging talk titled ‘Resilience: How to bounce back like a boss’, emphasising the importance of resilience in the workplace, she said:
“It was great to share the realities of the confidence gap between men and women at work. The feedback showed that they were highly engaged, very motivated and inspired by the presentation to challenge their own self-perception and to grow in confidence”.
WITBoss creates a unique community for female leaders in technology to network, debate, discuss hot topics, and learn from reputable and established speakers who are leaders in the industry. The event took place the day prior to International Women’s day; a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and marking a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Three students from Leeds Beckett University’s STEM Power Society took the opportunity to network and take advice from delegated, taking part in the following discussions:
- how to attract more female applications for tech roles
- balancing a high-profile role
- work-life balance
BSc Computer Forensics and Security student, Keeley Stainthorp and STEM Power Society president said:
“Myself and my fellow society members felt truly inspired by the WITBoss event. We were greeted and welcomed into the group and found it an amazing opportunity to network with such interesting and inspirational people. We learnt so much, especially around interview techniques and how to put ourselves forward as the best we can be.”
Jonathan Sanderson, Managing Director at Corecom Consulting said:
“At Corecom Consulting, there is an ongoing effort to help to change the perception of women in technology at various levels of the education system. This is why we are working closely with local universities, such as Leeds Beckett University, and educational institutions.
“We recognise that young females are not choosing the technology sector because of a lack of female role models and a lack of advice and guidance for women in technology. We will continue to encourage conversations around women’s involvement in the technology industry and to showcase successful women such as Ann-Marie, in order to bridge the gender gap further.”
*Source: womenintech.co.uk
