Women in Technology event at SETU to showcase opportunities for girls in technological industries

South East Technological University (SETU) is hosting the third ‘Women in Technology’ event at the SETU Arena in Waterford on Thursday, 30 March.

Women in Technology is sponsored by Red Hat and aims to promote the role of women in technology, remove any perceived barriers that may exist, provide information on pathways for women to enter suitable courses at SETU and after graduation move into an array of diverse and interesting careers in the technological world.

The event will showcase the very best of Women in Technology, providing inspiration and encouragement to all those who may be curious about a job in technology or to further inspire those that already see this as a pathway to a great career.

According to Sinead Walshe, lecturer in computing at SETU and one of the organisers of the event, “This is a really important event for SETU and for the technological companies based in the southeast. There’s a lot of jobs in technological industries across our region and huge opportunities for career development. We want to showcase these opportunities to female students who are considering college or even earlier stages in secondary school when they are considering subject choices.

“Our last event was in 2019 before the pandemic and it attracted over 1,000 female students from Cork, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow and Waterford. There is an appetite to work in this area and we want to provide that extra incentive by bringing second-level students together with female leaders in the area.

“The technology sector needs more women studying the varied technological courses available, like those at SETU. These graduates can then begin forge a career in a variety of interesting technical roles that provide a flexible lifestyle, where they may be part of a team of people to develop new ideas, services and products.”

It is time now to focus on the next generation of female tech talent to ensure that there is, numbers-wise, a more balanced reservoir from which to draw, in order to make gender equality in technology a reality. Solving this issue will have real-world consequences for the future of society and the world.

During the morning event, attendees can meet with and talk to women who have interesting and varied careers in technology, engineering, ICT and software development, women who are changing the face of technology and society.

As well as female keynote speakers, the event will have stands from some of the largest technological companies in the region, all of whom will be available to interact with attendees during the morning.

School groups can register for the event at www.setu.ie/womenintechnology or students can drop in on the morning.