The Northern Ireland branch of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, will launch a unique “Women Transforming Digital Leadership” programme in January 2020.
The programme is aimed at women in digital or technical roles who aspire to leadership, as well as women who do not have a traditional specialist IT background, but have the talent and inspiration to lead digital change in their organisation or sector.
This includes women working in digital, innovation and transformation from diverse industries, ranging from tech firms, life and health sciences, digital arts, charities and social enterprises.
The three month programme will cater for up to 20 women across all sectors in Northern Ireland and consists of:
Taster Day and Networking Evening
BCS NI will host a ‘Digital Leadership Inspiration Day’ on 17th October 2019.
This will be run by two facilitators from Empowering You, a group with experience in delivering leadership programmes across the UK.
The daytime sessions will consist of a structured ‘taster’ day with individual and group exercises, and talks from digital leaders.
This will be followed by a networking event for potential participants who want to find out more about the programme, benefits, planned outcomes and sponsorship opportunities.
Claire MacManus has been leading the programme on behalf of BCS NI. She said: “The lack of women in digital and tech roles is a well-documented and debated issue. We recognise that there is a shortage of talent reaching technical leadership roles; we also know women are leading innovation in sectors, who would not call themselves digital or tech leaders.
“Our goal is to identify, develop and recognise these leaders, to plug the skills gaps across all the sectors in Northern Ireland. This programme will provide a platform for collaboration for these women to develop, succeed and share learning across all sectors.
“A collaborative framework will take advantage of knowledge locked in silos, open up existing markets and create new opportunities for our economy and communities.”
Research from BCS in 2016 revealed that women only make up 17% of all IT specialists, 23% of the industry overall, and only 11% are directors of tech companies.
According to Social Enterprise NI, the Social Enterprise sector in Northern Ireland is now worth £625m to the local economy, and 43% of that sector is led by women.
As a charity with a royal charter, BCS NI state their agenda is to lead the IT industry through its ethical challenges, to support the people who work in the industry, and to make IT good for society.
To book on the Digital Leadership Inspiration Day and Networking Evening, visit the BCS NI event page.
If your organisation wants to find out more about how to develop your women leaders and participate in the programme which creates positive impact to society, email Claire MacManus (BCS NI Committee) at claire.macmanus@bcs.org
Find out more about Empowering You, visit their website.
