Appeal for female role models to help address STEM sector gender imbalance

FEMALE entrepreneurs from the North Cork region have been encouraged to join an initiative aimed at encouraging more young women to pursue careers in Ireland’s expanding IT sector.

Established last year the Ada Lovelace Initiative is seeking volunteers from the region to visit schools in an attempt to promote technology careers to females TY pupils and address the imbalance of gender role models within the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector.

It is estimated that just 25% of people working within the STEM sector in Ireland are female, despite the burgeoning skills shortage and the ever growing demand for skilled IT professionals.

The Initiative was established specifically to address this imbalance and encourage women to enter the sector by learning from the experiences of role models who have already forged their own successful careers.

One local entrepreneur Niamh Ni Chearbhaill, web designer and director of Mallow based Spiralli Business Solutions, has already joined the campaign recently giving a talk to pupils at the local St Mary’s secondary school.

She was among more than 100 female role models from 75 companies across Ireland to have already registered with the Ada Lovelace Initiative, with organisers now aiming to further expand the project to other schools across the North Cork region from September.

Named in honour of Ada Lovelace, regarded as the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage’s famous ‘Analytical Engine during the 1800’s, the initiative was the brainchild of Dublin based Verify Recruitment.

The company’s managing director, Cathal Grogan, said that success of the project during its first 12-months had “exceeded all expectations.”

He said the ultimate success of the Initiative depends on the participation of role models such as Niamh Ni Chearbhaill.

“Through the Ada Lovelace initiative we aim to address one of the main contributing factors to the low numbers of woman entering STEM careers – a lack of visibility or access to female role models in this field,” said Mr Grogan.

The school visits are provided free of charge with the only commitment from individual volunteers being to visit one school each for a single hour-long talk. To find out more about the Ada Lovelace Initiative, to register your interest as a technology role model or to register your school visit www.verifyrecruitment. com/ai.