The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) is to host an interactive online conference for girls and young women looking to know more about careers in STEM.
Young Women in STEM is aimed at students aged 13–16, with a programme including talks, quizzes and an interactive workshop on machine learning.
The 24 March conference is the latest in a series of similar workshops organised by the Bletchley Park-based charity.
“Our event is about alerting young girls to what’s possible and encouraging them to get thinking about careers in STEM,” said TNMOC’s director, Jacqui Garrad.
“We are doing it in the setting of Bletchley Park, where women outnumbered men three to one during the centre’s famous World War II codebreaking operations. We hope to channel that early spirit and inspire the next generation of women coders, engineers and analysts.”
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Among those signed up to pass on words of wisdom to conference attendees are:
- Kahleelah Jones, owner and founder of Careful Feet digital agency
- Bukky Moyo Babjide, business transformation consultant and director of software development company, Crystal Options
- Kim Diep, software engineer and mentor to young hopefuls, as featured in the 2020 TechWomen100 List
“Events like this are vital if we are to address the industry’s gender imbalance,” said Anne-Marie Langford, TNMOC’s head of education.
“Having girls and young women engage with role models – such as our speakers – is just one of the tools we can employ to ensure the members of this talent pool start to engage with the sector.
“A lot of work remains to be done, but we are pleased to play our part in showing girls and young women how they can potentially contribute to STEM, and impact us all.”
“As a nation, we are missing out,” added Garrad. “We are allowing a large number of potentially skilled technologists and engineers to slip through our fingers, meaning innovation and progress are going unrealised.
“We need to break down the gender stereotypes that perpetuate the longstanding imbalance that hangs over women in STEM. Fantastic, fun and rewarding career options are available to women of all ages in this field.”
Young Women in STEM takes place on 24 March. Attendees can take part in individual sessions or join in for the full day. For full itinerary and further info, click here.
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