Fidelity Investments and University of Galway have launched a new partnership to inspire more females to study science, technology, engineering and maths.
Females accounted for fewer than 20 per cent of information and communications technology (ICT ) graduates over the last seven years in Ireland, and the new joint venture will help encourage young females to explore the world of STEM and the career opportunities available to them.
Fidelity Investments and University of Galway will work together under a national project to inspire them to consider working in technology and overcome the current gender imbalance in STEM subjects.
According to University of Galway Associate Professor Cornelia Connolly, Ireland is working to become a "digital leader at the heart of European and global development".
"Digital skills and a flourishing computer science education ecosystem are essential to our national digital transformation," she says. "To grow our digital economy, Ireland needs an advanced workforce ready to take advantage of the opportunities the transformation will bring.”
This industry-academia partnership will support CodePlus, a nationwide outreach engagement project, involving Trinity College Dublin, Lero/University of Limerick, and University of Galway, aimed at overcoming the gender imbalance that exists in computer science and ICT courses at third level in Ireland.
As a result a range of workshops, company visits, and career talk will take place over a 20-hour programme using interactive learning and real-life experiences to inspire female students to embrace STEM and consider technology and computer science subjects at third level.
Lorna Martyn, Fidelity Ireland Regional chair, says CodePlus is an innovative accessible pathway ,signposting opportunities in computer science careers to young women.
"It intentionally addresses the gender imbalance in participation across Ireland’s third-level institutions. As a personal advocate for greater female participation in technology careers and directly aligned to Fidelity Investment’s strategic commitment to education at every level and fostering new diverse talent pipelines, I am thrilled to announce Fidelity’s new two-year partnership with the University of Galway on the CodePlus programme," she says.
At present only 15 per cent of Irish schools offer computer science as a subject, with 22 per cent of females studying the subject in those schools.
"There is an urgent need to bridge the participation gap," she says, "and provide equitable, inclusive, and real-world opportunities to encourage young Irish females to be the next generation of technology leaders and innovators."
"Fidelity Investments Ireland is looking forward to supporting the programme through company visits, workshops and career talks from female role models working at Fidelity. By providing real-life experiences to the students in partnership with CodePlus, we believe we can have a positive impact on the students’ understanding, outlook, and attitude to careers in STEM and most particularly careers in technology and software engineering.”
Cornelia Connolly, Associate Professor at University of Galway, says over the past number of years, partnerships with tech companies have been particularly useful in increasing the participant engagement with CodePlus and giving the students an insight to the IT industry.
“For many of our students, there are few opportunities to visit tech companies and/or meet with female role models working in the industry. This aspect of the programme creates an authentic way for students to see the potential career paths open to them in the field of computing.
“We are delighted to have Fidelity on board as a partner for the next two years and we are looking forward to working with them to continue to grow and develop the CodePlus project and inspire young females in the West to look at careers in technology as exciting and attainable career opportunities.”
