A national programme to encourage more young women to
consider careers in the IT profession will be rolled out this year
as part of a drive to raise the number of high-quality candidates
entering the IT jobs market.
E-Skills UK, a public private sector partnership, is raising
government and private sector sponsorship to help schools set up
computer clubs for girls following a series of successful
pilots.
Research by E-Skills UK shows that the clubs, for 10 to
13-year-olds, have dramatically transformed the negative
perceptions about the IT profession among female pupils in the
areas where they have been piloted.
After trying the clubs, the majority of girls said they would
consider a career in IT, compared to only a handful who would
consider it before attending the club.
"Between the ages of 10 to 13 years, girls become 'switched off' by
technology," said Melody Hermon, project manager for careers in
computing at E-Skills UK. "Computer clubs aim to raise girls'
skills levels though activities that have been specifically
designed to keep them motivated towards a career in IT."
The clubs allows girls to learn IT skills by taking part in fun
activities such as designing their own websites, producing
magazines or composing music.
E-Skills UKbelieves that the clubs will help address the gender
imbalance in the IT workforce, which is currently 80% male, and
will eventually offer employers a wider choice of candidates.
E-Skills UK teamed up with the South East England Development
Agency to trial the computer clubs in 2002 in 28 schools in the
South East. Last year, 128 schools began a full pilot programme
that will involve 4,000 pupils by June 2004.
Feedback from the girls suggests that the clubs are proving
popular. The first term was described by 88% of the girls as either
"pretty good" or "absolutely brilliant".