Pupils from Craigmount High School and Liberton High School were photographed earlier to highlight a new initiative to get girls into digital!
The programme was launched at Microsoft’s Scottish HQ and the ‘Girls into Digital World’ programme will take place from 15-17 March. The three day programme of activities will aim to inspire and engage three dozen girls from S3 classes in several Edinburgh high schools.
Skills Development Scotland are running the initiative along with Microsoft, Standard Life, Edinburgh College and Heriot-Watt University.
Annabelle Ewing said: “Scotland’s workforce is benefiting from initiatives like Girls into Digital World which dismisses outdated notions linking gender to jobs and proactively creates positive new ways into our successful industries. Projects like this which link to employers can make a big difference in showing the range of opportunities on offer, particularly in sectors which have so much potential for growth, and reinforce how businesses benefit from bringing on talented young staff.”
Karen Murray, head of national training programme development at Skills Development Scotland, said: “Girls into Digital World is a brilliant opportunity for girls to hear about varied and interesting career opportunities in this growth sector and be inspired by women in the industry in Scotland. Women currently account for a much smaller proportion of ICT roles in Scotland than men so the opportunities to improve the balance are significant.”
She continued: “Positive role models are incredibly influential so I hope we can make a difference by introducing the group to a whole range of successful women who show very clearly that digital is not just for men. It’s really important that we catch girls early to help them build their confidence and raise their knowledge and esteem of the profession.”
Steven Grier, Microsoft country manager for Scotland, said: “Working directly with schools and showing young people what a career in digital technology could offer them is a really powerful way for businesses to keep both girls and boys engaged in computing. We are delighted to be supporting Girls into Digital World and hope that we can inspire the group to continue on the path to becoming digital professionals.”
The programme is part of Digital World, an initiative to promote careers in the digital technology industry, which has been developed by the sector in partnership with Skills Development Scotland.
Photos © Sandy Young 07970 268944
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
