Written by the ‘Bring IT On’ team
The Bring IT On programme which is run by Belfast Met and funded by Department for the Economy launched the Bring IT On ambassadors initiative to encourage closer collaboration between tech companies and schools in some of the following areas:
It is key to offer support to teachers as well as students. With the pace of change in the world of tech we must continue to support our teachers and enable them to be informed about the I.T. industry and the diversity of career options and pathways open to young people today.
One of the first ambassador visits happened on November 8th 2019 at Ashfield Girls High School Belfast. Three representatives from the company Unosquare, Roisin Hughes, Mel Keenan and Michaela Cromie, shared their I.T. career pathways and experience with 22 girls. The Unosquare employees talked about how they got into the industry and what they do to support Women in Tech.
Colette Walker, Head of ICT at Ashfield Girls High School said: “We were delighted to be involved in the launch of Bring It On’s IT Ambassadors Programme. Some of our senior ICT students were given the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of what is involved in working in the IT industry and about the many pathways and opportunities available. Having a link with a well-known, local IT company meant that our girls could discuss opportunities for work experience and gain invaluable advice about specific roles in IT. The girls enjoyed hearing about the world of work and truly were inspired by the IT professionals from Unosquare. We are looking forward to the many opportunities that this programme will bring in the future.”
Roisin Hughes, Human resources manager at Unosquare added: “Working as Bring IT On Ambassadors was a fantastic opportunity which facilitated us at Unosquare to be able to inspire more young women to join the IT sector. It was great to see the pupils at Ashfield Girls High School showing a keen interest and we look forward to hopefully welcoming some of these faces into the IT sector in the near future.”
Bring IT On is particularly keen to address the under representation of females in the sector and it is through initiatives like ambassadors that we will see inspirational role models engage with school girls throughout Northern Ireland and help young female students understand the fantastic opportunities available to them in the tech sector.
To date we have matched 20 schools with ambassadors across Northern Ireland but we want to do more. If you are a school or employer and want to get involved in Bring IT On ambassadors please contact us at bringiton@belfastmet.ac.uk
