{"id":14998,"date":"2023-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/members.dataiq.global\/articles\/girls-into-coding-addressing-inequality-in-data-and-nurturing-new-talent\/"},"modified":"2023-04-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T23:00:00","slug":"girls-into-coding-addressing-inequality-in-data-and-nurturing-new-talent","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/articles\/girls-into-coding-addressing-inequality-in-data-and-nurturing-new-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Girls Into Coding \u2013 Addressing inequality in data and nurturing new talent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why should businesses get involved?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are near-continuous discussions from data businesses about an ever-shrinking skills pool and how difficult recruiting the correct skill sets can be \u2013 which is further exacerbated by the gender divide. By getting involved with GIC, businesses will be helping develop the future talent the industry so desperately needs, as well as cementing themselves as a force for positive demographic change in the industry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is widely known that women and\u00a0girls are under-represented in the tech sector,\u201d said Couloute. \u201cThe main challenge is, \u2018if you cannot see it, you cannot be it\u2019 and the perception that tech and\u00a0STEM, in general, is a \u2018boy thing\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGirls need to see and\u00a0experience that tech is also for them; there are not enough opportunities for this to happen and\u00a0sadly such opportunities usually come with a price attached,\u201d Couloute added. \u201cUndoubtedly this is a huge barrier for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and those hardest hit by Covid-19 and\u00a0the cost-of-living crisis. We need businesses to really get behind and support grassroots organisations like GIC\u00a0so that we can continue creating free opportunities to engage girls with hands-on, meaningful, fun and challenging STEM-based workshops.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outreach programmes have been shown time and again to bring long-term success and interest to different fields, with many people taking part in such programmes eventually undertaking an apprenticeship. With such a skills shortage in the industry, and modern-day curriculums not promoting tech, data and analytics as much as needed, programmes such as GIC are an essential part of the future talent pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Developing skills\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its inception, GIC has connected with over 1,000 young girls and helped them grow their passion for tech \u2013 in 2023, the aim is to connect with 1,000 young girls this year alone. This is achieved through hands-on interaction with different forms of technology including robotics, physical computing, 3D printing and, of course, coding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople learn in different ways, and hands-on learning, especially for children, has a more significant impact than traditional classroom-style learning,\u201d said Couloute. \u201cHands-on experiences have several advantages, including developing key skills such as problem-solving, resilience, inventiveness, collaboration, creativity, confidence and empathy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the year, different external speakers join GIC events and speak directly to the young women that are eager to carve out their own tech-driven career. By highlighting success stories and providing a chance to connect with women making a difference in the industry, GIC can demonstrate just how achievable the ultimate goals of STEM equality truly are.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even when the Covid-19 pandemic lay pause to in-person events, GIC was able to continue providing tech skill opportunities to young women through online presentations, workshops and discussions. Furthermore, small robotics kits were created and sent \u2013 at no additional cost \u2013 to those taking part in the GIC programme to ensure they still received a level of hands-on experience with tech. Accessibility is key to improving representation and equality in tech, data and STEM fields \u2013 the GIC online webinars have been attended by young women from 14 different countries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The future is bright and full of talent\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Data and tech requirements are not going to go anywhere and will continue to become a central part of most businesses. Therefore, it is pivotal that businesses engage with prospective talent as early as possible and highlight the benefits of a career utilising tech skills \u2013 by working with GIC, this becomes far more attainable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesses can engage with the next generation of talent and improve their diversity in many ways,\u201d said Couloute. \u201cThis could include partnering with organisations that focus on engaging under-represented young people, offering more work experience and internship opportunities, hosting workshops and utilising the media to spotlight emerging and already visible and\u00a0accessible role models.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

To get involved with Girls Into Coding and become a sponsor, click here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

To contact Girls Into Coding, click here<\/a>, or email info@girlsintocoding.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow Girls Into Coding:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Twitter<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Instagram<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Facebook<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Girls Into Coding is a social enterprise determined to improve the gender imbalance in the tech space, challenge stereotypes and engage with underprivileged girls to develop new skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":14999,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[129,398],"tags":[169,745,739,232,355,356,354,357,711,515,306,352,744,746],"pillar":[],"class_list":["post-14998","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-public","tag-analytics-and-insight","tag-charity","tag-data-enabler","tag-data-for-good","tag-dei","tag-diversity","tag-equality","tag-inclusion","tag-outreach","tag-recognition","tag-talent","tag-talent-pipeline","tag-women-in-data","tag-youth"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-21 05:00:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/14998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/14998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14998"},{"taxonomy":"pillar","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pillar?post=14998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}