Despite much progress in getting girls interested, more needs to be done.
This week I was delighted to join Coláiste Bríde in Clondalkin for their Awards ceremony. With a four year old daughter I feel passionately that our girls today need to be ready for tomorrow. Today women only make up 30% of Europe ICT workforce – given challenging pace of change, this needs to change!
Our students need great role models, access and awareness. As a society, we are living in a time of momentous change as technologies transform how we love, work and play. Microsoft is embracing this change in our quest to help every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. We want our young people to participate in today’s digital age and inspire them to create tomorrow digital world. With 90% of tomorrow’s jobs requiring digital skills, it is time that all of Ireland’s talent pool possesses the skills of the future to ensure they succeed in any and all sectors they choose to work.
Microsoft conducted research in collaboration with McKinsey & Company’s Education Practice research on the ‘Class of 2030’ to gather insight from students, teachers and thought leaders across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Singapore. It explored the key skills our pre-school students will need when they graduate, how we prepare them on that educational journey, and the role technology plays in that.
Some of the findings:
Students are both clear and bold in their vision for the future
They want greater choice and control over how they learn, so they can solve social and global challenges not yet imagined and be ready to thrive in their personal and professional lives
By 2030 – and while automation replaces today’s lower-skill jobs – the fastest-growing occupations will require higher-level cognitive skills in areas such as collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
To help all students build these crucial cognitive and social and emotional skills, educators will need training, technologies, and time
However, we face a significant challenge in encouraging more girls to become interested in technology-related careers. Despite becoming interested in technology around the age of 11, girls start to lose interested in STEM subjects around the age of 15.
This fall-off is limiting the career and life choices of some of this country’s most creative young people. Indeed, today women only make up 30% of Europe ICT workforce. This is something that policy makers and industry must work together to address. We cannot have nearly three-quarters of the workforce unable to participate or have their jobs replaced by disruptive technology.
What can we (you?) do about it?
Well, 3 out of 5 Irish girls with strong role models can imagine a future career in STEM.
46% of Irish girls are more interested in STEM subjects when they have a role model compared to 38% of girls who don’t
On average – across Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science – having a STEM role model results in a further 11% increase in interest for girls in the Irish classroom.
As I addressed these girls – the entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators, and our future leaders – I wanted them to realise their biggest ambitions.
We now need to be that role model they can learn from! Get involved
Getting Clear On Voice Recognition Alot of work has been done on making voice the preferred input method for technology users. In 1952 Bell Laboratories designed the “Audrey” system, which recognized digits spoken by a single voice. 10 years later this was followed by IBM who demonstrated its “shoebox” machine that could understand 16 words. […]
First Impressions Count – Increase New Customers Through the Face of Your Business
First Impressions Count – Increase New Customers Through the Face of Your Business In such a fast-paced world, it really does all come down to first impressions. When you are running a company, it is crucial that the first interaction that your customers have with your business is a positive one in every way. […]
With more than 140 years of history, the financial service company Ibercaja is deeply invested in the north-east region of Spain. In order to support its rural clients and solve the local water scarcity problems, the company now helps farmers to digitally transform their crop management. Key to this transformation are “Internet of Things“ enabled […]
How technology is transforming the work of governments
Governments have the ultimate responsibility to their citizens. People depend on the services they provide like no other institution. Whether in healthcare, education, business, roads, railways, water – it’s essential that government institutions are always at the forefront of social and digital trends. Cloud-powered technologies are playing a critical role in helping government agencies to […]
Fáilte Ireland Rapidly Adapted and Innovated with Microsoft Power Apps
Fáilte Ireland Rapidly Adapted and Innovated with Microsoft Power Apps When the Covid-19 pandemic closed offices globally and truly changed how every organisation functions, it created additional unanticipated challenges for many. Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, was one such organisation which had migrated much of its work to the cloud. The tourism body, which employs 450 people, identified that […]
Medical device provider builds an Azure data estate for any future
Danish med-tech company Coloplast makes innovative care products for people with intimate health challenges. To help maintain productive customer relationships and better understand the needs of patients, Coloplast migrated from an on-premises data warehouse and business intelligence (BI) solution to Microsoft Power BI, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, and other Azure services. The migration is part […]
Waiting Times for Patients in Irish Hospitals have Reduced as a Result of The National Treatment Purchase Fund using Microsoft Dynamics 365
Waiting Times for Patients in Irish Hospitals have Reduced as a Result of The National Treatment Purchase Fund using Microsoft Dynamics 365 It is well documented that waiting times for patients in Irish hospitals have continued to grow putting ever–increasing pressure on our national health service. The most recent figures released show that 567,000 people are currently waiting to see a specialist for an […]
9 ways to turn your field service centre into a profit centre
A service that generates more profit than cost: it’s the ultimate goal for any organisation. We’ve listed a few tips below to help you make this dream a reality. 1. Know what you’ve got to offer Knowing what you’ve got to offer and knowing how (potential) customers view your story are important elements in marketing […]
Modern coffee is complicated. Gone are the days when a quick cup of ‘instant’ in the morning would satisfy most of us. Coffee is a living, breathing culture, and with it comes a burgeoning set of consumer expectations. Meeting and exceeding them determines whether coffee businesses sink or swim in an industry where you’re only […]
Contemplate, if you will, the multiple choices available every time you want something to drink. Water? Juice? Soft drink? Do you want a single-serve can or a six-pack? Or maybe you just grab a liter bottle. The fact is, we as consumers expect a lot of options and the global non-alcoholic beverage industry delivers. Arca […]
More power to you with Microsoft Dynamics Solutions
More power to you with Microsoft Dynamics Solutions: Microsoft Event Finder With our partners, we have set-up a series of events (online and offline) so that you can hear more about the solutions they provide with Dynamics 365 and how Microsoft’s modern, unified, intelligent and adaptable Business Applications can help drive value for your business. […]