Staff working on a project that aims to get more girls
into IT say their message is getting through.
The IT sector skills council
e-skills came up with the
scheme, called
Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G), to show girls aged 11 to 14
how the subject underpins much of their lives and move it away from
its "geeky" image.
Pupils log on to a website and take part in activities such as
creating fashion magazines, learning about IT through these
tasks.
UK employers have also been involved since the
project's launch in 2004, providing role models for the girls
and answering their questions about the technology world. There is
a wide ranging movement in the IT industry to
get more women involved.
Jayne Miles, IT infrastructure manager at Ford, said, "CC4G is
great because it is looking at the gender imbalance in the IT
industry in the UK. Ford is no different to the rest of the
industry in having around 19% of its IT staff being women."
She said that it is not just the pupils who learn from the
clubs. "Volunteers provide role models for the girls, but we also
tend to learn things ourselves."
Debbie Cowley, head of ICT at secondary school Kent College, has
included the club in the curriculum. The number of girls studying
IT GCSE at the college has trebbled in five years.
She said, "I think it does make more girls consider IT as a
career because it makes it seem more fun. And because it is so fun
for them they are learning and thinking about IT without realising
it."
Jayne Miles said she is hopeful about the project's success.
"The proof is still a few years away because we need to see how
many girls will actually go onto study at university and go into
the profession. But I do have confidence that it will cause more
girls to think about a career in IT."
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