Girl Geek Scotland Launches Mentoring Project To Encourage More Young Women Into Technology

Girl Geek Scotland needs your help…

Diversity is an ongoing issue in the technology sector. According to recent research, women make up only 18% of the digital technology workforce. That’s terrible.

One of the mains reasons for this is female uptake in computing science subjects and interest in technology careers is low – even at high school. So fewer women enter the technology sectors and the industry is poorer as a result.

However, one activity which has been shown to make a real difference is the use of role models and mentors to encourage and support young girls, to consider technology subjects and careers, helping them to better identify with those working in tech.

Girl Geek Scotland is now running a project to help build the number of role models and mentors and provide them with a framework and materials to help encourage more young women to consider technology as a career.

The organisation has launched two surveys – one for schools and the other for organisations – to help identify mentoring projects, activities, case studies and examples of best practice. If you have given or received any mentoring along these lines, then Girl Geek Scotland would like to hear from you.

Even if you’ve not had any experience with mentoring, please take a moment to share the surveys and let other people know this project is happening. The further this reaches, the better the results will be.

You can find the surveys here:

1. For primary and secondary schools [COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE] If your school has already developed a mentoring or role model scheme, or has worked with an external organisation that delivered one.
2. For organisations and institutions [COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE] If you work in an organisation that has already delivered or can deliver role models or mentoring projects to school aged children during 2017.

The deadline for the surveys is THURSDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2017.