Technology

Posted on December 4, 2018 by staff

#GirlTechBrum gives female students a taste of tech

Technology

Digital firms across the West Midlands have taken part in an event designed to introduce female students to the tech industry.

Students from nine schools across Birmingham took part in the #GirlTechBrum event today (4 December), which is aimed at raising aspirations and helping young women aged 12 to 13 years old explore careers in the digital and tech sectors.

The event included a series of interactive careers panels, workshops and guest speakers, supported by a range of businesses.

The event was funded by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and supported by social enterprise Ahead Partnership.

#GirlTechBrum is part of Ahead Partnership’s Make the Grade programme, which has supported more than 150,000 young people to date with real-life, hands-on experiences, delivered by local employers.

“We’re delighted to have been able to support students in Birmingham through this event, which is really helping to deliver the skills needed in such a thriving sector,” said Stephanie Burras CBE, chief executive of Ahead Partnership.

Over 120 pupils attended the event at the iconic Millennium Point building in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside, with guest speeches from Melissa Snover, MD of the world’s first 3D sweet printer Magic Candy, and Faye Pressly, COO at technology solutions provider Vanti.

Students also participated in a range of workshops from Codemasters, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Legal & General, InMoment, Lander Automotive and PwC, covering a range of topics including financial crime, UX and customer intelligence, before posing their own questions to a panel of female role models in STEM.

Burras added: “The tech industry is already one of the most important for the UK and the outcome of events such as #GirltechBrum has been fantastic to date – it is important that businesses continue to support these initiatives, so we can reach further young people and continue to make a difference across Birmingham and the surrounding areas.”

Abbie Vlahakis, financial director at Millennium Point Charitable Trust, said: “Helping females take up roles in tech is an absolutely vital part of ensuring the UK leads the industry on an international scale.

“Events such #GirlTechBrum are crucial in showing that roles in tech can be for anyone, making it accessible, social, and fun to learn more about.”

The #GirlTechBrum event was organised following the success of a series of similar events delivered by Ahead Partnership in Leeds earlier this year, including an event which took place as part of Leeds Digital Festival, a city-wide, open platform celebration of all things digital within Leeds.