Lecturer calls for mentorship to open girls’ eyes to possibilities in tech

At least one lecturer believes that mentorship is the key to increasing the participation of women and girls in the digital world and the ICT sector.

According to Dr Phillipa Bennett, a lecturer in the Department of Computing at The University of the West Indies, Mona, many students do not know where to readily find information to guide them on how they might explore the tech industry.

“Our students don't know about access,” Bennett told The Gleaner at FLOW Jamaica's inaugural Girls in ICT Conference and Exposition held last Thursday.

She noted that traditionally, studying and working in tech was viewed as 'too difficult' or 'complicated'.

The lecturer stated that in her interactions with students, some would voice that it was simply “just too hard”.

“But if you speak to them one-on-one, and you talk to them about what they are interested in and getting context of what we can do, then a light bulb goes on and they're, like, 'Wow, you mean this thing that I want to do, it's in here (ICT sector) when it looks like all this robotics',” she said.

Bennett, a teacher of subjects such as software engineering, which is heavily centred around mathematics and formulary specifications, stated that there were still fewer girls in the classroom.

She is, therefore, encouraging those individuals who are ahead and have worked within the ICT field to help pave the way forward through mentorship of the future generation.

“I think that's very very useful. For girls, sometimes we step back, we feel like we don't belong, … but you can fit there because what you are thinking is valid,” she said.

For young girls, Bennett said that mentorship could provide answers to their questions and strengthen their resolve “to see a broader horizon and vision for where they want to go”.

“There are not many girls at that stage [of education], but it is very important for you to show them that it's accessible, that it's important work [and] that we can do it,” she said.

International Girl in ICT Day was celebrated last Thursday under the theme 'Digital Skills for Life'.

Daryl Vaz, minister of science, energy, and technology, who was present at the event, said that women were no longer trailing in society, but instead, were advancing successfully alongside men in an array of professional fields, sometimes even taking the lead.

“There is no dream that can be too big, and there is nothing that you can aspire to be that you cannot be if you go and put in all the work that is necessary,” he said, encouraging the more than 200 girls from across the island in attendance at the event.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com