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Microsoft encourages Irish women to create the future

Written by Robert McHugh, on 27th Apr 2017. Posted in Technology

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Microsoft yesterday committed to enable 10,000 girls in Ireland to engage with technology in a positive way over the next two years. 

Through this engagement, young women will be encouraged to engage with technology – through study, career or in their personal pursuits. 

At a major event hosted in UCD, the company encouraged young women to #GoForITGirls and highlighted the range of supports that are available to enable them to explore all that technology has to offer.

Forty four per cent of Irish girls when polled by Microsoft last autumn stated that when they picture a scientist, engineer or mathematician, they still picture a man first. To tackle this perception barrier, Microsoft is reimagining how to communicate the benefits of technology to girls and young women.  

Under its YouthSpark initiative, Microsoft Ireland has set an ambitious target to showcase the possibilities of technology to 10,000 females through a number of initiatives.
 
Executive Vice President of Microsoft Corporation, Peggy Johnson was in Dublin to help celebrate global Girls in ICT Day which is taking place today. She addressed the event along with a number of role models who all use technology in different walks of life including fashion designer, Natalie B Coleman and Irish electronic artist, Elaine Mai.
 
Microsoft plans to demonstrate to young women that a career with technology at its centre can be one of many, many things. The pervasiveness of technology means that it is now at the heart of retail, design, architecture, medicine, sales, marketing to name but a few.
 
Commenting on the initiative, Managing Director at Microsoft Ireland, Cathriona Hallahan said, "We are focused on diversity and inclusion as an employer but we also want to ensure that we give young people the opportunity to engage with Microsoft and get an insight into the latest and greatest technology."

She added, "We can see from the trends that young girls are opting out of technology, by creating this ‘tech taster’ focus under YouthSpark we are hoping to inspire young women to seek to learn more and do more with technology. By changing the minds of even 10% of the young women that we engage with we can have a real impact on society. We’re looking forward to engaging with many girls and young women in collaboration with our partners over the coming year."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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