Flow, Courts point Microsoft’s “DigiGirlz” to the field of ICT

Students of Excelsior High, Wolmer’s Girls and Campion College listen keenly to Denise Williams, executive director of corporate communications at Columbus Communications, as she shares a variety of career fields in Information and Communication Technology, at the Microsoft  ‘DigiGirlz’ conference at the Stella Maris Church Hall on March 22.

Males currently dominate the Information Communication Technology (ICT) field across the globe and many females worldwide and here in Jamaica, generally shy away from pursuing a career in ICT because of the many other prominent traditional career choices.

As a response to this, companies such as Microsoft, Flow and Courts have joined forces to encourage high-school girls on the exciting opportunities and impact that the ICT industry has on their future careers.

Through Microsoft’s annual initiative ‘DigiGirlz’ girls from various high schools benefit from the advice and guidance of leading female professionals in the ICT sector.   This year, over 150 girls from 19 schools across the island participated in the conference at Stella Maris Hall in Kingston, held under the theme ‘Building a Global IT career’.

Telecoms provider Flow teamed up with Courts to provide girls with an interactive experience through online activities geared at encouraging them to “think outside the box”.

Denise Williams, executive director of Corporate Communications at Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions, says that initiatives such as this are important in breaking the barriers for career choices.  “We simply could not pass on this opportunity to inspire girls who are faced with critical decisions about their future. Flow is one company that provides a clear example of how far women can go in the technology industry. We have a woman at the helm of our operations and other female executives in top positions ranging from engineering, technical support and communications. As a leading broadband provider, having the girls interact with the technology, is a fitting way of demonstrating the impact of ICT,” said Williams.

The conference explored topics such as to untapped areas for women in Information Technology, taught them how to manage and maintain a good social media character and how to market themselves, as well as a range of other career counselling and panel discussions.  Students were given a chance to interact with each other and to have one-on-one rap sessions with the presenters at the conference.

Queenie Ko, Microsoft’s Education Sector Manager, welcomed the partnership with Flow. “Microsoft is very excited to have Flow partner with us this year in the staging of our 3rd annual ‘Digigirlz’ event this year. Flow and Microsoft, both share the same vision, passion and commitment as it relates to the transformation of Education for Jamaica.

We believe that through this partnership, we will be able to deliver a more impactful event and drive the desire outcome and that is to empower and motivate our young women to explore a career in technology,” said the Education Sector Manager.

Other presenters at the conference included Marlin Page, President and CEO of Knowledge Brokers, LLC, a Technology Recruiting and Consulting Firm,  Shereen Jones, Group Information Technology Executive, Jamaica National Building Society and Chairman and Lorna Green, Chairman, Central Information Technology Office at the Ministry of Science Technology Energy and Mining (MSTEM).

At the end of the conference, many students had changed their opinion about pursing an ICT related career.

Shanee Barnes, sixth form student at Wolmer's Girls said that each presenter gave insightful presentations that she thoroughly enjoyed. "I'm interested in fashion and I’m also interested in computer science. Each presenter has given me inspiration, propelling me one step closer to my goal of finding a creative way to match the two."

From as early as 2000, DigiGirlz has provided free technology education and interactive experiences to thousands of young women worldwide. This year, Flow and Courts Jamaica teamed up to support the Jamaican leg of the programme.

“With the growth of information technology in today’s society, Courts is always looking for opportunities to contribute to the development of this vibrant and important sector in Jamaica. This is part of our nation building efforts and establishing Courts as the place for all your Information, Communication and Technology needs while connecting with our future leaders. And of course, we all know that girls run the world," said Nariesha Murray, Product Supervisor - Appliances / Purchasing at Courts.