Cable & Wireless Calls for More Girls in ICT

Inge Smidts, CEO of C&W

PRESS RELASE: Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W), parent company of Flow and BTC, in the Caribbean, is calling for more girls to pursue studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as the company observes International Girls in ICT Day today.

The company is kicking off several activities across the region to encourage female students to consider careers in Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) industries.

The ICT space continues to rapidly evolve, opening up a plethora of career opportunities, yet there are still concerns about the low representation of females in the sector.

“Globally, the percentage of females following a course of study in STEM education remains low. Girls in ICT Day is therefore an opportunity for us to continue connecting with our girls, to provide mentorship, and showcase careers in the sector, while connecting them to female pioneers in the industry. As we champion greater inclusion and diversity in the workplace, we are mindful of the need for more balance and female representation in our industry, and so our activities this year are geared towards that purpose,” said Inge Smidts, CEO of C&W, a leading communications and entertainment provider and one of the largest employers of ICT, engineering and other technical workers in the region.

C&W will stage a video essay competition for female students, aged 12 – 15 years old, across the region.  Participants will be asked to submit a 2 – 3 minute video on the topic: “Why is it important for girls/women to pursue a career in ICT?”

Details will be shared when the competition opens on April 26 and winners will be announced at the company’s Girls in ICT Forum on June 8, 2021.

“Moving the needle on the number of females in the ICT sector will require our collective efforts.  At C&W, we are doing our part to create a more balanced industry by supporting our girls and young women across the region as they make critical decisions about their career path. Through this video essay competition and during our Girls in ICT Forum, we hope to raise awareness of the opportunities available to young women and girls, provide

Flow BVI Country Manager, Ravindra Maywahlall said, “In the Caribbean, we have the stigma that jobs are gender specific and those days are long gone. I urge everyone to be an agent of change to encourage and foster gender equality among our youth. As our CEO Inge said, ‘moving the needle on the number of females in the ICT sector will require our collective efforts’, and I am counting on everyone to do their part to ensure this.”

Over the years, C&W has staged various activities and partnered with a range of organizations on Girls in ICT Hackathons as it strives to increase the interest of female students across the Caribbean in the ICT field.

Girls in ICT Day 2021 is being marked under the theme, “Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures!”  The day is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is geared at empowering and encouraging girls and young women to pursue STEM education, inspiring them to work in STEM careers, and also engaging the community while promoting collaboration through partnerships.

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