Cisco, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, iLabGlobal, and Barbuda Relief Network, is proud to bring Girls Power Tech to Antigua and Barbuda for the first time.
Girls Power Tech is an initiative designed to inspire girls to pursue careers in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) through hands-on exposure to the latest technology and engagement with industry professionals.
The technology field is a huge growth area, providing high-paying jobs and opportunities for women seeking professional careers.
Women comprise a mere 27% of workers in computer science, engineering, and physics fields in some of the world’s emerging economies, representing a significant, untapped resource of technology talent.
With an explosion of high-paying technology-related jobs all over the world, there are 1.2 million computing-related jobs that will exist in the U.S. alone by 2022, with only enough computer degree graduates to fill 39% of them.
Cisco, along with their partners, are committed to ensuring that secondary-school students in Antigua and Barbuda are introduced to this growing career-field during high-school, in hopes of producing leaders in the 21st Century workforce.
“Statistics clearly indicate that rapid skill acquisition is critical to high job performance. In other words, your ability to learn new software programs and deliver solutions, based on what you know and what you can [actually] do is critical to your success. Learning a trade is no longer limited to carpentry, masonry or mechanics, it requires
learning those highly sought-after technology skills, like coding, database building and networking.
Our mission is to support high school students to acquire those skills at the time of graduation and shortly thereafter. By teaching these skill early, you are allowing students ready access to the growing job market, in STEM-related fields.
We aim to provide students with the same opportunity as our international counterparts”, said Mak ŏ Williams, CEO of iLabGlobal Inc.
On July 15, 2019, Cisco, along with The Ministry of Education, iLabGlobal, and Barbuda Relief Network will present the Girl’s Power Tech to Twenty-two (22) high-school aged girls in Antigua and approximately twelve (12) girls in Barbuda.
The event will take place at two locations simultaneously, iLabGlobal (Antigua) and Sir McChesney George Secondary School (Barbuda), and will be simulcasted via Cisco’s WebEx video conferencing platform between the two islands. The day will consist of various tech-related hands-on activities, presentations, and team building exercises. The event will also provide the attendees with the opportunity to interact in person, as well as
virtually with accomplished mentors based both locally and abroad. Lunch will also be provided along with prizes and awards for the participants.
“Initiatives and partnerships that bring events like Girls Power Tech to Antigua and Barbuda, play an important role in our organizations commitment to providing the type of meaningful programs that will aid in shaping the way forward after hurricane Irma. This event will provide a fun learning and networking opportunity to the young
women that take part,” said Decota Jeffrey, director of Barbuda Relief Network.
Registration is still open for the event. Students and parents who are interested can still receive information and sign up at the Ministry of Education building.
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We complain all the time that girls are out-performing boys here in Antigua. Should not we be implementing initiatives so boys can catch up?
The world is changing.. job markets are becoming smaller…. Such skills would be welcoming but should not be limited to school children alone. It’s the technology age now… The older folks should be allowed to jump on the band wagon, so at the end of the day, they themselves can become entrepreneurs and open up their own business.
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