In a global effort to raise awareness around the necessity for girls to consider a career in ICT, Cisco is once again supporting Girls in ICT Day through its Girls Power Tech initiative.
The firm held its UAE edition of the event on May 12, 2016 at the Cisco’s Dubai offices in Knowledge Village, where 60 female students from various schools had the opportunity to experience the latest technology first-hand, engage with industry professionals and learn about the education and career experiences of Cisco’s women executives.
“Globally, women comprise a mere 27% of the computer science, engineering and physics fields and remain a largely untapped resource. A diverse workforce has never been more important to stay competitive in today’s digital world and, more importantly, in the future,” said Mike Weston, Vice President, Cisco Middle East. “For nearly two decades, Cisco has made it a top priority to build a diverse talent pool to meet these challenges. We not only encourage diversity at our work place but are also committed to inspire young women to careers in technology through our global initiatives such as Girls Power Tech.”
During the event, students presented original ideas they have developed with the aim of creating a positive impact and addressing day to day challenges and inconveniences. The projects were based on the use of technological innovation around the Internet of Things and align to Cisco’s vision of ‘Changing the way we work, live, play, and learn’. Dubbed the ‘Digital Rock Stars Challenge’, the inter-school competition aimed to ignite creativity and foster team work and entrepreneurial skills. The students’ innovative work was evaluated by a panel of judges based on originality, ingenuity and feasibility.
“The initiative’s focus is on mentoring girls and young women about career opportunities in ICT and encouraging them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to become the next generation of innovators who will use technology to change the world,” added Frida Kleimert, Head of Channel and Commercial Sales – Cisco UAE.
Cisco will be contributing to the Girls Power Tech initiative by hosting young girls from 50 countries in 90 locations and providing them with career advice, personal career anecdotes and demos in Cisco technology.
Through its networking academies, Cisco has helped over 220,000 students in the Middle East graduate from the program since its inception.
