Joana Ganilho
Early Careers Co-Lead, CWiT
Liana-Anca Tomescu
Early Careers Co-Lead, CWiT
We need to improve the participation of women working in the STEM field by showcasing more role models.
Throughout the Great Resignation, we have seen millions of people dropping out of their workforce, and women are doing it at a rate twice as high as men. In fact, 40% of Irish women have considered quitting their job in the last 12 months. It is hard to stay in an environment where you don’t feel you fit in and role models play a big part in this – from early school to the workplace.
Through our work, we aim to raise women’s profiles within organisations and communities and counter this drop out. Our network of 20+ tech companies based in Ireland means that we have people from different organisations, career levels, field studies and profiles.
This provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase incredible role models and demonstrate that women do belong in this workforce. This sense of belonging will prevent many from leaving and encourage our talented female population to reach their full potential, but it is vital to do this with purpose and connection in mind.
Our early career pillar at CWiT focusses on increasing the visibility of women in tech from our member companies in programs such as the CWIT Fireside Chat and the Tech Starter.
40% of Irish women have considered quitting their job in the last 12 months.
Promoting real role models
Fireside Chat is a monthly program that spotlights a member’s career to spark open conversations and support group learning. With the diversity of our members, we hear about skills and behaviours , workplace decisions and strategies which offer fantastic insights for the audience to learn from. We empower real people to be real role models while building a network for all CWiT company members to benefit from.
Targeting Third level students
Meanwhile, Tech Starter is an annual program which began in 2019 and involves a series of women-in-STEM talks, career workshops and webinars, in partnership with many Third level institutions in Ireland. It primarily targets female college students.
The main aim of our Tech Starter sessions is to ensure that all of the incredible role models we have are seen and heard. These sessions shine a light on the success stories of women in the technology field, including advice and guidance on how to enter and thrive in a STEM profession.
The feedback from these projects drives us forward and reinforces that our CWiT mission of promoting, attracting and retaining women in the tech sector is still vitally needed and it is a mission that we remain committed to.
Learn more about CWiT at cwit.ie.
