On International Women’s Day, I want to celebrate all women in Technology and STEM. Women working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths face challenges and gender bias every day. It’s a sad fact that even in 2021, women in science struggle to be taken seriously sometimes. We battle prejudices and face gender bias on a regular basis. Sometimes people prefer to speak to our male colleagues, even if we have decades of experience and expertise equal or more than that of our male peers.

This is wrong and today I choose to challenge and ask everyone to help create an inclusive world where women are equally valued. I call out to everyone to support girls and women who are passionate about technology and sciences. I choose to challenge, so that young girls are encouraged to make their own education and career choices. I want more girls to be offered STEM subjects at school, and not be put off from studying subjects traditionally dominated by their male counterparts.

When I was at school, I discovered my passion for science, technology and electrical engineering. I didn’t come across gender bias while growing up in the Czech Republic, instead I suffered from educational background bias and was discouraged by my teacher from studying A-levels in computer science, because my parents do not have education to degree level. I worked hard to pass the entry exams and ended up with top grades for my A-levels. I love learning and wanted to continue, so I went on to university to do a computer science BSc, alongside my full-time job as an IT manager. After setting up my IT business, I continued studying and completed a master’s degree while running the company.

IT is a male dominated industry, and it was then I started to come across gender bias. Even as a business owner with years of experience in my profession, I find it hard to be taken seriously by men sometimes. Women should not have to work harder to prove their worth and this must change.

The gender gap in technology starts in schools and I have personally experienced it with my niece. Not many girls take IT as a subject at school or in further education because it’s seen as a male dominated area and they lack support from their teachers. I want to see computing and technology taught to all children equally, with the same importance, if not more, as literacy. Children need encouragement and support in schools to take STEM subjects from a young age. Over the years I have worked with schools, universities, and other organisations like young enterprise to inspire the younger generation into business and IT.

So, if you are a young woman wanting to work in technology or science, follow your dream, choose to challenge. If you’d like to connect with me or just have a chat with a woman working in IT, then please get in touch. Together we can make a change.

Connect with Kat:

Phone: 0330 1224420

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @IQinIT

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerinad/

As our US friends celebrate #DigitalLearningDay, we look at why learning new technologies and digital skills, in and out of the classroom, is important no matter how old you are.

As an Information Technology company, it’s no surprise that our team is passionate about digital technology. Most of our employees have completed degree or college courses in computing, some are still studying. But learning doesn’t stop when you step out of the classroom. Technology is changing all the time, so the learning must continue. There are lots of ways to learn new digital skills, here are some of them.

Peer learning is a fantastic way to acquire new skills and techniques. Our IT engineers learn from each other every day. Everyone has unique interests and ways of fixing problems. When an issue occurs, speaking with other members of the team is a fantastic way to learn how to diagnose and fix a problem.

Formal learning with a college or university course is a great way to learn and gain qualifications. Two of our team are currently studying for apprenticeships while they work. Formal education allows our team to combine accredited learning and apply those new skills directly into work. In turn, the students take solutions learned at work into their educational setting, so the knowledge sharing is a two-way street and benefits everyone.

Informal learning is ongoing. Our team spends a huge amount of time in and out of work improving their computer skills just for the fun of it. We’re taking part in a competition called #CyberDrainCTF. A capture the flag series of online events, the competition has a series of IT questions and challenges to be completed. With different technical levels and specialist subjects, with a score board updated in real time. IQ in IT Technical Director Luke Whitelock came joint first in the event, with several of our team doing incredibly well.

IQ in IT Technical Director Luke Whitelock says: “We are always striving to improve the services we provide to our clients. We live and breathe IT, so for us playing a game that involves learning is a great way to test and improve our skills. Outside of work, I like to experiment with writing scripts that will hopefully improve the service we give our clients. I really enjoy this learning side of things and have started posting my work on a platform with other Managed Service Providers (MSPs). We share our ideas on IT solutions, and that way we all learn from each other.”

Professional learning is not just something we do ourselves, it’s something we encourage our clients to do as well. Digital learning is crucial for all staff in all businesses to keep your company safe from cyber-attacks, which has seen a massive increase since the start of the COVID pandemic. We organise cyber-security training to help companies train their staff to avoid digital crime. Learning should be fun for everyone, so there are games, quizzes, animations, videos, and a whole load of interactive tools to make learning fun.

If you would like to find out more about digital learning, get in touch [email protected] or book a chat here.