If you can’t see it you won’t believe you can be it
3rd October 2019 at I-CENTRUM Innovation Birmingham The WEST MIDLANDS WOMEN IN TECH AWARDS: Celebrate the outstanding contribution made by women in the tech sector.
With Information technology identified as the most in-demand skills set this year across multiple industries*, the time has never been better for women to get into technology. However, according to a study by PwC in 2017, women are 5 times less likely than men to have technology as their first career choice. Currently only 17% of those working in technology in the UK are female. And the future is not looking any brighter, with only 7% of students taking computer science A-level courses being female.
Interestingly, this sphere of technology was once dominated by women, with many of the first programmers being female; the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the programmers working on the first Harvard computers and the space flights at NASA – all women!
“I am a great believer in ‘you have to see it to aspire to it’” so says Debbie Assinder, Event Director of the Awards and West Midlands Enterprise Champion for Enterprise Nation.
“It is time to recognise the significant contribution that women across the West Midlands are making in the field of technology, to raise their visibility and inspire the next generation. This is where the West Midlands Women in Tech awards come in. We aim to shine a spotlight on all the pioneering women in the world of tech. We believe that not only will this bolster opportunities for women but it will also inspire other young women to get involved and realise that they too can enjoy a dynamic, exciting and innovative career in technology.”
This year’s headline sponsor is Methods. Their Head of Marketing, Alison Palmer commented, “Women in Tech is a subject that we strongly believe in. Methods is proud of the diversity across our organisation and we are keen to take responsibility for creating an environment where women want to work and can thrive in tech. The Women in Tech West Midlands event represents values that we share and we are proud to be this year’s headline sponsor.”
The Awards include a Hall of Fame, honouring the exceptional work that women from the West Midlands have made in the field of computer science. The first recipient will be Birmingham-born Mary Lee Berners-Lee, known as the ‘grandmother of coders’, she was on the team behind the Ferranti Mark 1 – the world’s first commercial computer. Berners-Lee also campaigned successfully for female programmers to be paid the same as men, nearly 20 years before the Equal Pay Act came into force. She is also the mother of Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
We would also like to thank our supporting sponsors Wesleyan, NTT Data, Millennium Point, Birmingham City University, Aston University, ICAEW Birmingham & West Midlands and Innovation Birmingham Campus.
Click here for the original press release.
Nominations are now open so let’s get nominating the amazing women in tech.
Nominations are now open so let’s get nominating the amazing women in tech.
Key Dates for the Awards:
Closing date for nominations:
Friday 23rd August
Shortlist announcement:
Wednesday 28th August
Judging day:
Tuesday 17th September
Awards Evening / Winner announcements: