Irish Conference to Encourage Women into Tech

At the recent Connecting Women in Technology conference, some of Ireland’s most prominent CEOs and senior leaders came together to discuss the promotion and inclusion of women in technology.

The cross-industry networking event, hosted at IBM’s Irish HQ, saw 18 of the top technology companies in Ireland, including BT, Google, and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, share ideas on how to attract and retain women in an industry ordinarily dominated by men.

Amongst the companies attending was the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, TD, who spoke at the meeting: “I am always urging all of our young people, but especially young women, to consider a career in STEM and I’m delighted to see senior leaders across the technology sector coming together today at the Connecting Women in Technology CEO forum to encourage the same.”

The Irish conference focuses on looking at ways to make the tech industry more inclusive. The Connecting Women in Technology event allows those from different areas to partake in a collaborative and supportive environment, with the option to discuss and create different opportunities for women in tech.

With Ireland working to encourage women and girls to enter STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) career paths, the country is looking at ways to improve the typically low female participation levels. Speaking at the conference, Bruton said that he hoped women and underrepresented groups would be inspired to “take up science and technology subjects and seriously consider the technology sector when making their career choice.”

In a report by The STEM Education Review group, they found that to make Ireland’s wish of becoming the leading technological hub a reality, high-quality STEM education needs to be consistently delivered. This initiative is also applicable when observing Ireland’s strategy for Reseach and Development, Science and Technology, Innovation 2020. The strategy found that for Ireland to become an innovative centre of continuous development in the tech world, a greater level of importance needs to be placed on delivering STEM education.

Etain Seymour, a spokesperson for Connecting Women in Technology, believed that the conference was a great way to approach the importance of STEM education, adding that it was “a great opportunity for Ireland’s leading technology players to outline our developments and vision for 2018 and beyond”.

Seymour went on to state that: “The engagement [of the event] illustrates and validates the commitment that there is amongst our industry leaders to attract, retain and promote more females in the technology sector within Ireland’s smart economy.”

Here at Eolas Recruitment, one of the leading IT recruitment firms in Ireland, we are proud of the country’s status as one of the front-runners in the inclusion of women in tech, and welcome the diversification of the industry. Whether you are a recent graduate, someone looking to revamp their career or an IT professional wanting to relocate to Ireland, get in touch with our team of Specialist Recruiters who will help you find your perfect career today.