The below post was originally published in www.eurograduate.com . To support their cause, i.e; to increase the number of women in IT industry, i have decided to share it.
A hot topic at the
moment is the lack of women in IT, which has been an ongoing issue for
the industry for many years; currently women hold a mere 14.4% share of
the computing professional roles in the UK industry and only 9% on
Computing courses at university. A few companies have started dedicated
women in IT and diversity initiatives including FDM Group, but the
difference here is that FDM leads by example with over 50% of its senior
management team being female. Additionally, female staff figures have
increased to a huge 23% compared with the industry average and the
award-winning IT firm has firmly established itself as a leader in
employing women as highlighted by featuring in the UK’s Top Ten IT
Employers For Women (The Guardian UK 300).
In a bid to combat the shortage of women in IT, FDM has implemented an initiative that encourages and supports women to enter the IT industry. FDM’s Women in IT campaign was launched in 2011 and aims to promote, encourage and support women in IT. Sheila Flavell, COO of FDM, was honored as ‘Corporate Leader of the Year’ at the Every Woman in Technology Awards in 2012 and is spearheading the initiative. FDM has also established a female mentoring program where its ‘Female Champions’ mentor fellow colleagues and organize events to raise awareness of the attractive opportunities in the IT industry for women.
FDM holds regular ‘Women in IT Advantage Sessions’ which aim to give undergraduates, graduates and other professionals looking for a career change the opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals. For each event FDM has a champagne reception, talks and presentations from three guest speakers in the industry followed by a round of networking with drinks and canapés. Previous speakers at these events include Maggie Berry, Managing Director of Women in Technology, Gillian Arnold, Founder of Tectre and Maria Ingold, former CTO of FilmFlex Movies.
In a bid to combat the shortage of women in IT, FDM has implemented an initiative that encourages and supports women to enter the IT industry. FDM’s Women in IT campaign was launched in 2011 and aims to promote, encourage and support women in IT. Sheila Flavell, COO of FDM, was honored as ‘Corporate Leader of the Year’ at the Every Woman in Technology Awards in 2012 and is spearheading the initiative. FDM has also established a female mentoring program where its ‘Female Champions’ mentor fellow colleagues and organize events to raise awareness of the attractive opportunities in the IT industry for women.
FDM holds regular ‘Women in IT Advantage Sessions’ which aim to give undergraduates, graduates and other professionals looking for a career change the opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals. For each event FDM has a champagne reception, talks and presentations from three guest speakers in the industry followed by a round of networking with drinks and canapés. Previous speakers at these events include Maggie Berry, Managing Director of Women in Technology, Gillian Arnold, Founder of Tectre and Maria Ingold, former CTO of FilmFlex Movies.
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