PayPal opens its doors to support female students in STEM

PayPal recently welcomed female Transition Year students from Luttrelstown Community College and Castleknock Community College into its Ballycoolin, Dublin office for a workshop as part of the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown’s Young Women in Technology Project. The workshop reflects PayPal’s drive to encourage more women to seek careers in leadership, business and technology.

By welcoming the girls into the Ballycoolin office, PayPal teammates gave the students a snapshot of what a career in science, technology, engineering or maths might entail. The girls learned first-hand what it would be like to be part of a dynamic, pioneering multinational—and even got the opportunity to design their own app.

The workshop is the latest in a series of initiatives spearheaded by PayPal in Ireland, aimed at encouraging diversity in the workplace and championing the vital role women can play.

Louise Phelan, vice president of Global Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, PayPal, said: “I’m a big believer in diversity; that’s why I encourage more women to seek leadership positions and roles in industries that traditionally have been dominated by men. Diversity of thought is critical to the success of every business. For me, it’s not about giving women an advantage; it’s about levelling the playing field.

“In our efforts to achieve that, I’m delighted to partner with our neighbours in the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown on the ‘Young Women in Technology’ initiative. Over the past five years we have welcomed more than 150 young women into PayPal as part of the project’s industry visit. It is great to be able to give women the opportunity to learn more about working in PayPal and I hope our efforts help to boost their confidence in their own abilities and encourage them to look at technology as a potential and rewarding career path.”

Adrienne Harding, Access Officer, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, said: “The Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) established the Young Women in Technology Project in 2011. It was designed to increase awareness of computing and engineering courses amongst female second-level students. The project runs over three days, two of which are spent in ITB, where the girls take part in computing and engineering workshops. On the third day, the girls take part in an industry visit. The industry visit is a key component of the project as it gives the girls a real insight into the technology sector and allows them envisage how their future might look if they pursue a technology course.

“We have been very fortunate to partner with PayPal on this initiative since its inception. Throughout the project PayPal has shown real commitment to promoting technology to females and we value the expertise, professionalism and fun they bring to the industry visits.”