URCA, Cable Bahamas and BTC to Host First 'International Girls in ICT Day'

Sat, Apr 18th 2015, 12:00 PM

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), Cable Bahamas and Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) and other sector licensees will facilitate a one-day ‘Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day’ Forum and Mini-Fair on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at the British Colonial Hilton.

The purpose of the event is to equip young girls with knowledge about the ICT sector and to inspire in them the confidence that the sector can be for them, as well as to expose them to a myriad of career opportunities, Corporate & Consumer Relations Manager, URCA, Mavis Johnson-Collie explained during a press conference to announce the event at the British Colonial Hilton, Friday, April 17.

Mrs. Johnson-Collie said, “Every year on the fourth Thursday in April, the International Telecommunications Union and the global technology community celebrate ‘International Girls in ICT Day’ an awareness-raising initiative designed to promote tech careers and studies to a new generation of girls and young women encouraging them to become ICT creators.”

She said some 100 female high school students from public and private institutions have been invited to attend the event, which will feature interactive presentations from successful women in ICT.

Mrs. Mavis Johnson-Collie said the forum and mini-fair will focus on the qualifications needed to be successful in the sector including certification in areas such as infrastructural engineering, civil engineering, specialised legal training, electronic and spectrum engineering. The keynote speaker will be a surprise and there will also be prizes. The young women attending the event will also have a chance to pick up an internship for the summer at one of the hosts organisations.

Associate Counsel, Cable Bahamas, Attorney Nicole Watkins and Vice-President, Legal Affairs, BTC, Pauline Seymour were also present at the press conference. Ms. Watkins said Cable Bahamas values and encourages the contributions made in this sector and believes that events such as the forum can “plant seeds of dreams and creativity that will blossom in the future.”

“We look forward to the day when we can boast of having female line technicians, software engineers, technical installers, web and app developers and a host of other non-traditional disciplines pursued by women as part of our team,” Ms. Watkins said.

Ms. Seymour said there are so many opportunities in communications and technology, and it is their agencies’ task to help the public to see what those opportunities are and they are starting deliberately with the girls.

“We are joining a worldwide effort started by the United Nations, and it is also a very personal thing for all of us, because we are all women coming into an industry that has traditionally been male led and an industry where some women have forged paths that we have been able to follow. So we in turn want to mentor and help others become a part of this industry,” Ms. Seymour said.

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