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WOMEN IN IT UNTAPPED ANSWER TO THE SKILLS SHORTAGEA report on the gender imbalance in IT

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Women in IT | 1

CONTENTSForeword 1

Executive summary 3

Recommendations in brief 4

Survey results 5

Background 16

Detailed recommendations 18

About us 22

With Ireland now positioned as a global leader in ICT, the Government is ambitious about growing this vital sector further.

In March, the Government published the ICT Skills Action Plan 2014. It sets out the Government’s core objectives in enhancing the ICT sector further and driving additional investment and growth in the sector.

The implementation of the Plan’s critical initiatives are already underway. Both Government and State Agencies active in this area have prioritised the implementation of the actions outlined in this Plan. Key objectives within the Plan include:

• A target to create and fill 44,500 jobs for ICT professionals up to 2018;

• Providing an extra 1,250 ICT undergraduate places a year from 2014 and issuing up to 2,000 work permits a year to ICT professionals with relevant skills;

• Targeting recent Irish emigrants and European Economic Area nationals to work in the sector in Ireland;

• Increasing the retention rate of students on ICT related courses and launching a further round of ICT skills conversion courses;

• Promoting careers in ICT to primary and second level students with industry support and the roll out of courses in digital media literacy, programming and coding in the new Junior Cycle.

With these reforms underway and the prize of almost 45,000 extra jobs for the Irish economy within five years, today’s Hays Recruitment report is timely and welcome.

While women now equal or surpass men in terms of number in most areas of our economy, they continue to be under-represented in ICT. Yet they are a vital untapped resource in meeting the current and future demands of the tech sector.

We are committed to working with all stakeholders – the ICT employers, schools and academics, parents, students and others – to challenge negative stereotypes which might dissuade more women from getting involved in ICT and to drive the message that ICT is a worthwhile and fulfilling career for men and women alike.

Eamon Gilmore

Eamon Gilmore, T.D.Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

The ICT sector is hugely important to Ireland, throughout the recession it has been one of the brightest lights of our economy. It accounts for €70 billion of our exports each year and its growth has positioned Ireland as the second largest exporter of computer and IT services in the world. Ireland is now home to global leaders, including Intel, EMC, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Facebook, eBay and Twitter.

FOREW0RD


Women in IT | 32 | Women in IT

Globally, our consultants tackle the challenge of sourcing developers for companies every day. In Ireland, we face constant competition from around the world to attract and retain the skill sets our customers need.

And it’s not just in development – there is a shortage of infrastructure specialists, testers, data scientists, project managers and business analysts. In fact there is huge demand for just about every IT skill-set you can think of.

Yet our research for this report has shown we have untapped potential all around us, in every city, town and village in Ireland. Who holds this potential? Women.

Less than a quarter of the IT workforce in Ireland is female. We surveyed 150 successful female IT professionals to question why women remain underrepresented in the IT sector.

Their responses outline the multi-faceted and multi-layered reasons for the relative lack of women employed in the IT sector. Those issues include education, perceptions of working in IT, lack of support in the work environment and other barriers to greater female participation, such as flexible working to facilitate family commitments.

Our report not only identifies the challenges but also puts forward a number of recommendations – prompted by our survey respondents – to help increase female representation in the IT workforce.

We hope this report will go some way to addressing and tackling these issues.

Richard Eardley

Richard EardleyManaging Director, Hays Ireland

Around the world, employers are crying out for people with IT skills. At Hays we provide recruitment expertise in 20 specialist areas in 33 countries and one of the most acute skills shortages we have seen over the past five years has been in the area of IT development.

FOREW0RD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Throughout the recession, the IT sector has remained one of the bright lights of Ireland’s economy. It accounts for €70 billion of our exports each year and its growth has positioned Ireland as the second-largest exporter of computer and IT services in the world.

Ireland is now home to global leaders such as Intel, EMC, IBM, Microsoft and, more recently, next generation leaders such as Google, Amazon, PayPal, Facebook, eBay and Twitter.

Hays is a leading global professional recruiting group for qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide. We are at the forefront of sourcing and promoting talent within the IT sector and we work closely with our partner client companies to help them find the employees who can drive their businesses forward.

With this experience, we know better than most the skill sets and aptitudes that our clients are seeking when they look to expand their IT workforce.

In 2012, there were 68,280 IT professionals working within the IT sector and across other sectors of the economy. Forfás predicts an average jobs increase of 5% per year in the IT sector up until 2018, increasing the employment of IT professionals to 91,000.

Yet the shortage of skilled IT workers in Ireland is a recurring theme among the national and multinational companies for which Hays recruits. A survey published in 2013* showed there was 4,500 unfilled IT vacancies and this shortage is set to increase unless we radically change our current approach.

At this point in time, there isn’t an examinable subject for IT at Junior or Leaving Cert level. We’re relying on the traditional science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects as a precursor to a career in IT.

Just as importantly, for a sector with an estimated 24% female participation, we also need to encourage more females to engage in IT roles in Ireland.

To provide a greater insight into the complex reasons why many women do pursue careers in IT, Hays conducted a survey among females currently working in the IT sector. Questions focused on their education and work experience within IT. The survey is outlined in full later in this document.

Our findings show that more than half of respondents (53%) chose maths as their favourite school subject, but only 39% have a degree in computer science and 75% did not set out for a career in IT. This proves there are many routes to a career in IT.

Encouragingly, many respondents did not experience barriers, but 23% had encountered sexism and some 33% felt let down by a lack of educational support. The majority (62%) believe that IT offers a good work-life balance.

When asked what would encourage women to start a career in IT, the respondents stated the most important changes would be improved IT education at primary and secondary school level, better understanding of career opportunities, a more equal gender balance and more flexibility in the workplace, especially for parents.

Based on this survey we have drawn up a number of recommendations that centre on changing practices and mindsets in education, on altering perceptions and opportunities in our culture and on creating more family-friendly work environments in the IT industry.

We believe that encouraging greater female participation in the IT workforce will not only help to meet a large and growing need for a variety of skills in the IT industry, but that a more inclusive and diverse sector will benefit all.

The Government has targeted an additional 44,500 jobs in ICT by 2018. If female and male participation rates achieved parity, half of these roles, some 22,000, will be filled by women.

*Skills Audit Report 2013 by FIT (Fast Track to IT).

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RECOMMENDATIONS IN BRIEF

EDUCATION INFORM AND REFORM•Introduce IT as an examinable subject for Junior and

Leaving Certificates

•Introduce basic coding for primary school students

•Up-skill teachers to provide expertise

•Provide an online portal for careers information for parents, students and teachers

WORK IMPROVE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT•Develop and launch an industry-supported national marketing

campaign to challenge stereotypes and encourage more females into IT careers

•Promote more female role models in the IT industry

•Develop a culture in industry for hiring potential that can be up-skilled

CULTURE BROADEN THE TALENT BASE•Develop an industry-led initiative to increase smart and remote

working for parents

•Increase paternity support from Government and industry

•Introduce social mentoring networks for women at all levels in the IT industry

Our survey identified a range of core recommendations that will be instrumental in developing greater female participation in IT.

KEY FINDINGS53% of respondents chose maths as their favourite school subject, followed by English for 42%, with 20% choosing IT and only 16% and 15% respectively, citing physics and chemistry.

39% of respondents had a computer science degree and 54% admitted they only took an interest in computers from the age of 18.

75% did not set out for a career in IT, 23% admitted they ‘fell into it’ and chose IT post-degree or while working in another profession.

54% did not experience barriers to working in IT during their formative years, but 33% cited a lack of educational support as a barrier.

44% have not encountered barriers in their IT career to date, but 23% have experienced sexism.

The top four key changes which respondents believe will encourage more women into IT are:

• Greater gender balance

• Improved education at primary and secondary school level

• Increased flexibility for working mothers

• Changing the perception of IT to ensure career opportunities within it are more easily understood and it is viewed as less ‘geeky’

62% of respondents believe IT offers a good work/life balance, which should be promoted and highlighted more to wider society.

SURVEY RESULTS



What is your age?

18-24 years old

25-34 years old

35-44 years old

45-54 years old

55-64 years old

27%

52%

15%

2%

4%

What is your highest level of academic achievement?

None 0%

Junior Certificate 1%

Leaving Certificate 3%

Third level degree 48%

Master level degree 31%

MBA 5%

Other 12%

How many employees are you responsible for?

None 63%

1-5 people 17%

6-10 people 11%

11-15 people 4%

16-49 people 3%

50+ people 2%

THE SURVEY RESULTS

What category best describes your company?

Start up

SME

Large National

Multinational 15%

20%

50%

15%

What industries have you worked in?

Software 58%

Financial Services 42%

Consultancy 28%

Telecommunications 25%

Online 18%

Public Services/Not For Profit 17%

Industry 14%

Other 29%

Sharon KeoghHead of Data Change, AIB

Manages: 11-15 people.

Experience: 11-15 years in testing, development, infrastructure, database, business analysis and project management.

Was it always your career goal to work in IT?No, my first chosen career was in fashion. One of the main reasons for picking IT was to open up more career opportunities; it wasn’t necessarily because I had a desire to work in IT.

Why do you think only 6% of women in IT work in development? Women aren’t any less capable than men. They generally have good people skills and prefer a higher level of engagement with people during their working day. Working as a developer you can spend a lot of time working on your own.

What can be done to encourage girls to take more of an interest in IT at a school age? The introduction of smart phones will see more girls opting to study IT as we are in an era where most people spend most of their day with a computer in their hand. We just need to make sure that we do more to make sure that young girls realise that this is what IT is all about, it’s not just about PCs and laptops, or being a developer, it’s about being innovative and coming up with faster and smarter ways to do things.

Do you think that there are barriers to women undertaking a career in IT?From what I can see there are no obvious barriers for woman and in my experience a lot of senior management within IT are woman but at the same time there are a lot more male CIOs than female but I think this will start to change.

CONVERSATIONS WITH...

Alexis RobinsonProject Manager, IBM

Manages: None.

Experience: 16+ years in testing and project management.

Why do you think physics and IT are not popular subjects studied by our respondents?A lot of the schools didn’t teach physics in my time. The boys’ schools did but the girls’ schools didn’t. It was very much a case of what you had access to. Then in college those who hadn’t studied physics as a school subject had a steep learning curve.

What can be done to encourage girls to take an interest in IT at school?I believe IBM are doing a lot to help. We are bringing schoolgirls into IBM and showing them what we do. In November 2012, I was actually

involved in a project where we brought 5th and 6th year girls into IBM and women that worked in IBM spoke about what they wanted to do when they were 16 and 17 and we gave our life experiences. I think more activities like this are invaluable because they get them to realise “maybe I am not the world’s greatest programme manager but I am very good at coding”. It gives them exposure to the different types of roles in IT.

IBM’s CoderDojo is very good, we need more of this type of exposure because it means that IBM is no longer just some big building out there, girls should be encouraged to come in and have a look.

Are there barriers to success for women in the IT industry? What might those barriers be?If a woman is seen to be ‘strong’, she is labelled a certain way and if she gets upset then she is labelled ‘emotional’. She might still be very good at her job but that is something that is held against her. I think there are a lot of mindsets that need to change, it is improving but there is still a long way to go.

“Women are very valuable, skilled members within a team, we have a lot of knowledge”



What aspects of IT have you been involved with during your career?

Our respondents have a wide range of technical skills, from support through testing up to development and project management. All respondents chose more than one option which indicates they are multi-faceted, typical of the IT industry in general.

Project Management 61%

Testing 53%

Development 52%

Support 50%

Business Analyst 47%

Database 29%

Other 25%

Infrastructure 24%

ERP 11%

How many years’ experience in IT do you have?

More than 50% of respondents have at least 10 years’ experience.

0-2 years

3-5 years

6-10 years

11-15 years

16+ years

11%

22%

27%

12%

28%

Which were your favourite subjects at school?

We asked this to test the assumption that IT professionals are more maths/science orientated. Maths was indeed the most popular choice (53% of respondents), but English came second and, surprisingly, physics and chemistry trailed behind history and geography.

Only one in five respondents chose IT as their favourite subject. We assume this was down to lack of an IT subject in their schools. Only 3% of respondents over the age of 44 chose IT.

Maths 53%

English 42%

Geography 32%

Biology 31%

History 27%

Languages 27%

Art 25%

Information Technology 20%

PE 16%

Physics 16%

Chemistry 15%

Home Economics 13%

Irish 9%

Technical Drawing 6%

Religion 1%

Other 18%

SURVEY RESULTS

How would you categorise the third level degree you studied?

At first it might seem surprising that only 39% of our respondents studied a computer science degree. However, computer studies only started to become mainstream in the third-level curriculum in the nineties. In addition, a further 32% took a business degree or a physics or maths course, and many of the business degrees would typically have had an IT element. Finally, as is highlighted later in the report, many respondents ‘fell into’ IT from other careers.

Computer Science/IT 39%

Business 18%

Arts 13%

BIS 4%

Maths 2%

Physics 1%

Electrical Engineering 1%

Other 23%

At what age did you take a technical interest in computers?

More than half of the respondents took an interest in computers from the age of 18, which would suggest fewer opportunities at school or at home. Our results suggest this could be due, at least in part, to them growing up at a time when computers were less ubiquitous.

Under 5 1%

6-9 3%

10-12 9%

13-15 10%

16-18 23%

18-25 41%

26+ 13%

Where was your interest in computers developed?

Most of the respondents were exposed to computers at home or through third-level education.

Third Level 42%

At home 33%

Girls Secondary School 9%

Mixed Secondary School 8%

Mixed Primary School 4%

Girls Primary School 1%

Other 24%

When did you make the decision to pursue a career in IT?

The majority of respondents decided to go into IT after their degree or while working in another profession, respondents ‘fell into’ IT from other careers.

Pre-Junior Cert 3%

Pre-Leaving Cert 20%

Post Leaving Cert 19%

Post degree 35%

Other 23%

Have you ever worked outside of Ireland in an IT position? If so, for how long?

Almost two thirds (65%) of our female IT professionals have spent their IT career in Ireland. Our survey suggests that strong family association could play an important role here.

Never

1 year

2 years

3-5 years

6+ years

65%11%

8%

5%

11%

“Within IT there has always been an element of a boys’ club”




Orla SheridanDirector of Consumer Business, Microsoft Ireland

Manages: 10 people.

Experience: 20+ years in software.

Do you think that there are barriers to women undertaking a career in IT?I think there are perceived barriers, which require proactive measures to be put in place to achieve greater balance.

If there is a situation where, for example, there are single digit percentages of women in certain fields, such as development, interventions need to be brought into play.

What advice would you give to a woman that wanted to pursue a career in technology?Go and talk to as many people in the industry as you can. There are great technical roles but equally great roles for non-techies. Three out of the top five companies to work for are technology companies.

You should consider that technology is going to be a major factor in every industry so you need to at least understand it.

Is there anything you would change in the working environment to encourage more women to work in IT?Read “Lean In”.

We all need to be more proactive in technology companies and in all industries. Understanding the differences between men and women and being aware is a start.

Then we should put in support systems for women at major decision points, returning from maternity leave, the 2nd child, etc. However, we have found in Microsoft that these are important family issues and family friendly policies provide support for all and promote equality to everyone.

At Microsoft there is a women’s network. It is great to hear from other women on how they have handled certain situations and it definitely gives you a lift when you hear someone else speak about situations you are going through. Role models are very important too.

Reverse mentoring is something that is also very effective, people of my generation can learn a lot from the younger people coming into the workplace and reverse mentoring is a great way to make this happen.

Sinead CaulfieldBusiness Support Director, Fujitsu Ireland

Manages: 5 people.

Experience: 20+ years in software.

What age did you actually develop an interest in computers?I developed my interest in computers in school. I went to an all girls’ school with no real opportunities in technology, but I got involved in the Young Scientist Exhibition. I wrote a computer programme with some classmates. It started as a project in biology, using computers to work out the classification of an animal. It was a great opportunity and it really developed my interest in IT. I really enjoyed the process of going from the design and development stages all the way to the finished product.

What do you think the industry could do to encourage girls to take an interest in IT at school?I strongly feel that an IT class should be compulsory from an early age at school. Many schools don’t even have the option until transition year and I feel it would be more beneficial to start earlier. Indeed, all teachers should have technical training as the area of IT is incorporated into all subjects and more importantly, all careers. Many schools are shying away from technology when they should be embracing it.

Is there any advice that you would give to women, looking to get into or considering IT as a career?Go for it! Technology is unavoidable now and is part and parcel with any career. There are huge opportunities in tech at the moment and it’s an incredibly exciting place to be. This brings me back to schools – technology needs to be better integrated into schools so young students can become tech-savvy before they go into the working world. The variation in careers is huge now and people are switching careers more than ever before – one thing that’s central is having, at the very least, basic IT skills.

Why did you make the decision to work abroad?

The two most popular answers were ‘Availability of Jobs’ and ‘Career Opportunity’ – suggesting the main driver is ambition.

Availability of jobs 41%

Career opportunity 39%

Lifestyle 35%

Level of pay 15%

Work-life balance 9%

Weather 4%

Tax benefits 2%

Other 35%

During your formative years, what barriers, if any, did you have to overcome to pursue your interest in IT?

A third of respondents found that a lack of educational support was a barrier in the early years. Yet it is reassuring to find that more than half (54%) found no barriers.

None 54%

Lack of educational support 33%

Sexism 16%

Financial 11%

Peer pressure 3%

Parental pressure 2%

Other 9%

From the beginning of your career, what barriers, if any, did you have to overcome to pursue your goals in IT?

It is encouraging to find that 44% of respondents haven’t encountered any barriers in their IT career to date. Yet 23% saying they experienced sexism is concerning.

None 44%

Lack of opportunities 29%

Sexism 23%

Lack of managerial support 23%

Family 10%

Other 9%

Interests outside of work?

There was a diverse range of interests selected by respondents, however, the most popular response was ‘family’ with more than two thirds (67%) selecting it.

Family 67%

Reading 59%

Film/TV 58%

Food/Cooking 49%

Outdoor activities 42%

Sports 40%

Theatre 26%

Education 21%

Volunteer/Charity work 21%

Other 12%

SURVEY RESULTS



Who was the biggest influence on your career and why?

One in five respondents cited work colleagues as an influence on their career with the next popular being parents at 13%. Teachers, friends and other family members were also important influences.

Alan Sugar, worked his way up from nothing. I find it inspirational that education is not the only factor in having a great career and to go for what you want in life.

Managers at work who became mentors and who believed in me and gave me responsibilities as they could see aptitudes in me that I wasn’t aware of.

No one, it was realising that if I wanted a good career I would have to study IT. I went back to college as a mature student at 23.

My mum – she manages a software company so we always had computers in the house as kids. That’s where my interest started and she encouraged me to explore careers in that area.

My brother, as he was a telecoms engineer and got me interested in programming at home with a Dragon 32!

My parents...they built in an ambition and saw no barriers, so I saw none!

What advice would you give to a female who wanted to get into IT as a career?

There was a broad scope of sound advice, including to get a wide range of experience so you can move around; to find a mentor; to keep learning, including professional courses, to understand that not all IT roles are technical and to work hard and enjoy the work.

Don’t get too caught up on technical aspects, there are other opportunities.

Get as broad an education/work experience as possible and specialise down the line. Don’t be afraid to try different aspects of IT. It’s always changing so keep learning from people, work and formally.

Have empathy for your users and clients, understand their problems and half the job is done.

Same advice I would give to any gender, be yourself, ask loads of questions, learn as much as you can. Intern or work for free if you need to get your foot in the door.

Do it! There is such a wide range of jobs available from a single Computer Science degree! You can move around so easily and find the ideal career for you.

It is not as male dominant as society implies.

Look at contracting to realise potential.

Look up computer courses in college and look at the subjects. Make sure they apply to you. Pick the course most suited to you, not the college.

Study computer science. Do not be put off by thinking it is only for geeks.

What would you change in the modern environment that would help women succeed in IT?

Some respondents mentioned gender imbalance. Another popular topic was greater flexibility for working mums, introducing paternity leave and better education at primary and secondary school level, particularly to demystify IT and tone down the ‘geeky’ image.

In the modern environment we need more equality between men and women.

Encourage men to take parental leave as well as women so that there is a shared responsibility built up. If men had to take parental leave like in Sweden there would be a much more balanced approach to time off and return from maternity. Men are not actively encouraged by society to stay at home.

Offer courses in all schools, making clear in career advisories about the range of roles available.

Encourage a) working from home b) compressed hours c) smart work practices – avoid ineffective verbal and written communication to allow staff get on with their tasks during the working day.

Secondary schools need to be more supportive and get IT professionals to speak to students as I feel that teachers don’t understand the industry and so don’t give good advice.

How do you think female participation in the IT sector will change in the future?

Quite a few respondents didn’t foresee much change. This question also drew comments on advancements in technology allowing for more flexibility, and again the need for more IT education at an early age.

I think it will continue to grow but is dependent on education at all levels.

If nothing changes in upper management in IT companies, nothing will change.

I don’t know if it will. Females tend not to be interested in IT as our brains (generally speaking) work differently to men. I think men are more suited to careers in IT as they have more of an interest in it. They think in black and white terms. Women are usually more interested in more tangible people focused industries and career areas.

I don’t care. I want to work with someone that can do their job regardless of their gender.

I think more and more women will get involved and in effect there will be a more communicative environment within the IT industry.

It will increase as the IT sector becomes less technical in general and more focused on business value and experiences.

SURVEY RESULTS



Does working in the IT industry contribute to a good work/life balance?

It’s welcoming to see that almost two-thirds of respondents (62%) believe that working in the IT industry contributes to a good work/life balance. The nature of the industry seems to offer flexibility for home and remote working. That said, one third of respondents are frustrated by the amount of hours they do and the stress in their job.

Personally, I have a good work life balance. There are, of course, certain times when I work non-stop and have to give my time outside of typical work hours to host events etc. In general, I can find time for myself outside of work. It might be a different answer if I had children etc. though.

The IT industry in Ireland is volatile, with project changes, global climate events, you have to be very flexible as to where you will work location-wise. It is very hard to have continuity in any kind of life. This is not conducive to family life for a woman.

With a young family, it’s difficult: but no better or worse than any other full time job.

Not enough options for flexi-time, reduced hours working. Businesses are unlikely to change unless there is some form of carrot (tax relief) or stick (legal obligation to provide it). Most businesses don’t want the hassle of eight employees working reduced hours to do the work of five full-time employees. This issue is a societal one, bigger than individual companies.

IT firms are widely recognised as valuing and promoting work/life balance and have a number of great initiatives in place to support this.

My hours are flexible to work around family life and I am lucky that the wage affords me a good standard of living.


Vera MillerManager, Project Management Office, ESB

Manages: 24 people.

Experience: 16+ years in project management, IT governance and development of PMO.

Was it always your career goal to work in IT?No, I went to a school in the country and, although it was progressive for the time, the career guidance counsellor was focused on careers in nursing and banking, as opposed to a career in IT. I think the subject IT should now be part of the school curriculum.

So how did you find yourself working in IT?I worked in banking for a number of years and then I moved to an IT multinational. I gained great experience working with many different cultures abroad and on very diverse projects. This where I developed my career in IT Project Management.

What advice would you give to a female trying to get into IT?Decide whether they would prefer a more introvert role like Development or a more extrovert role like Project Management. Then just seize

the day and be brave, be true to yourself and follow your own dreams and instincts. Use the advantages and specific skills you have as a female. For example, Emotional Intelligence, a skill that is absolutely crucial when you’re managing large projects or highly skilled teams of people.

Was there a particular person that influenced your career?I was very lucky to have good mentors that challenged and guided me. I believe this is particularly important as you start your career. It can be a great advantage to have someone who believes in you. I have had a number of role models like that right though my career – even now I still do!

How many females are there in the IT department in ESB?The ratio of female to male is 40/60.

Why do you think 63% of survey respondents do not manage someone?There are a limited number of management positions and not everyone has the skills to attract and retain the right resources for the team. Nor do they have the skills to coach, develop and motivate the team. Not everyone wants to manage a team – it can be very challenging.

Why do you think only 6% of women in IT work in development? I think the primary reason is that it can be very lonely for women. They generally prefer, and may even perform better in roles that involve groups of people.

Hilary O’MearaHead of Technology, Accenture

Manages: 500+ people.

Experience: 20+ years in public service, communications and high tech.

65% of respondents said they do not or have never managed anyone. Why do you think this is?As in any industry, only a percentage of those who start a career in IT will be promoted beyond manager level. From Accenture’s perspective, our internal research suggested that we traditionally hired more men relative to women in IT with the knock-on result that there were more men in senior positions. It is something we were very conscious about and proactivity addressed.

We also invested in business coaching for our female employees and provided mentors, to help them to have the confidence. As a result, Accenture Ireland now has a larger number of women at manager level than men.

Why do you think only 6% of women in IT work in development?When it comes to the IT industry certainly we would

see more men coming from college who are hungry to do programming, it’s just a fact. I think that women often start out in programming and get exposure to the business analyst role and some form of project office role. If they like the BA role they often drift into it as opposed to specialising in development. Interestingly, when we are configuring our teams we tend to default to women for BA roles because they are naturally good facilitators.

Who has been the biggest influence in your IT career?I met a girl who had won a “Young Scientist Award” who said I should do Computer Science in UCD because if I enjoyed the STEM subjects in school I would enjoy the course. Without her advice, I am not sure where I would have ended up! It was great career advice.

Another was a very senior lady I worked with who took me under her wing and challenged me constantly by asking me ‘what are you doing to further your career?’, ‘are you involved in strategic initiatives, are you getting exposure and that helped because she really pushed me forward.

Another influence is a network of about five female peers. We support, mentor and encourage each other. Men think differently to women and it is very healthy to have other women to bounce ideas off in addition to my male colleagues. I think it is important that men in senior positions are aware of the difference and use this awareness to develop both men and women.

SURVEY RESULTS

Was it always your career goal to work in IT?

Three quarters of the respondents did not set out for a career in IT. Some started in other professions and quite a few admitted they ‘fell into it.’

No, I did it as it was where the work was.

IT didn’t exist when I was younger.

I started my studies in IT and believed I would work in IT.

It’s certainly a dynamic area to work in and one I’d recommend to any young girl. “I explicitly didn’t want to work in IT until I got a summer job working in the same company as a friend and I changed my opinion.

It was just something I fell into and it interested me.

It never occurred to me until it was suggested to me by a career guidance teacher in school.

I explicitly didn’t want to work in IT until I got a summer job working in the same company as a friend and I changed my opinion.



Education – a key opportunity for growthWatch a typical three-year old playing with a tablet or smartphone. Already, even before they have walked through the doors of primary school, children are using technology seamlessly. Yet the education system in Ireland currently offers little to encourage an understanding of technology. By the time students are choosing subjects for the Leaving Cert the options are particularly scant for female students.

Respondents in our survey highlighted education as an important opportunity to increase knowledge of STEM and also improve awareness among students and parents of career opportunities in IT.

We took a closer look at subjects for the certificate examinations for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate levels.

At Junior Level, there are subjects on offer such as Ancient Greek, Classical Studies, Metalwork and Materials Technology (Wood), yet no Computer Science or coding.

Furthermore you can take a Leaving Certificate exam in Ancient Greek, Classical Studies, Hebrew Studies and Arabic, yet no Computer Science.

It’s not as if the curriculum hasn’t been reviewed, as you can now do Business, Russian and Japanese Leaving Cert exams and you also have a choice between Agricultural Science and Agricultural Economics.

The HEA’s ‘What Do Graduates Do?’ report for 2013 showed that computer science had the highest percentage of all 2012 undergraduates in employment in Ireland (66%), and the highest at Masters and Ph.D. level (73%).

With such progress to employment and nine of the top 10 IT companies in the world based in Ireland, how can one of the crucial subject matters to the economic development of the country i.e. coding and software development be left out when these other options are available?

What influences secondary school girls in their subject choice?In January, 2014, Accenture Ireland issued a report on what influences secondary school students’ subject choices and in particular STEM-related subjects. Their research findings suggest that female students and their parents are struggling to make informed decisions when it comes to choosing subjects in secondary school. The report found that this was due to:

• negative stereotypes suggesting STEM subjects are more suited to boys and that STEM subjects are more difficult

• parents’ lack of information on STEM career options

• fragmented information in schools about STEM careers

• a disconnect that exists between industry’s skill needs and students’ subject choices for their Leaving Certificate Examinations

BACKGROUND

CoderDojoGirls – a case study CoderDojo was started in Cork in 2010 by school whizkid James Whelton and entrepreneur Bill Liao. James, who spent most of his free time on coding, started lessons at his school for fellow pupils who were interested in learning code. And so evolved the idea with Bill to set up an after-school club for young people to learn code. CoderDojo is now in more than 40 countries and Dojos have taken place in the Dáil and the Houses of Parliament.

The premise of a Dojo is that a mentor teaches the skills. In this case, the mentors are developers who volunteer to teach learners from age six to their teens how to code in a wide range of languages including HTML, CSS and AppInventor.

Niambh Scullion, a developer with IBM is a mentor with CoderDojo at Dublin City University, which has been running for two years. Niambh and her co-mentors noticed that plenty of girls would attend the Dojos at the outset, but would leave after three to four weeks. Whereas the boys tended to stay for the entire 12 weeks of a programme.

Niambh decided to set up a girl only Dojo, along with mentors Noel King and Sarah Doran. The result? “In this environment many girls stay for the full duration – particularly the girls aged eight to 12. The earlier you start with them it becomes second nature,” she says.

The young coders in CoderDojoGirls initially learned how to build a piano game. Some of the mentors were peers who had learned coding skills already through the mixed CoderDojo at DCU, including Niamh, now aged 11, Vanessa, 17 and Catrina, who is also 17. “The girls feel very comfortable asking these mentors questions, and the content is more tailored to their interests,” says Niambh.

She would like to see more female mentors getting involved in CoderDojo and ultimately wants girls-only Dojos to became a victim of their own success. “I’d love to be able to walk into a mixed class and 50% of that class is girls,” she says.

And whatever the girls who attend CoderDojo go on to do, Niambh believes their experience of learning to code will stand to them.

“In my current group of 25 I only see about eight or nine of them being programmers, but I see them all in the tech industry. Whatever role they do, they will have a tech mind. They’ll think ‘This could be done better’ and if you can walk into any job with that mindset, that’s an amazing space to be in. They are great innovators at that age. If you encourage creativity and innovation, who knows where they can go?”



DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS

EDUCATION INFORM AND REFORMIntroduce IT as an examinable subject for Junior and Leaving CertificateCurrently, you can take a Junior Certificate exam in Metalwork, Ancient Greek, Classical Studies and Jewish Studies. You can also collect your Leaving Certificate points by taking an exam in Ancient Greek, Classical Studies, Hebrew Studies and Arabic. Yet one of the most sought after and valuable skill sets – how to write IT code, is not available on the curriculum.

A computer science course should be introduced at secondary level that complements the courses offered at third level. It needs to be examinable at Junior and Leaving Certificate levels. In addition, a process must be implemented to allow the courses to be nimble enough to change with the pace of technological developments.

Introduce basic coding for primary school studentsIreland should look to the UK’s example, where coding will be introduced in primary schools for children over five from September 2014.

Initiatives such as CoderDojo and CoderDojoGirls, which were started in Ireland and have become a worldwide phenomenon, prove that coding can be taught engagingly to girls and the subject matter develops problem solving skills.

Up-skill teachers to provide the expertiseOf course an increase in IT on the school curriculum would require more training for teachers. Whilst the introduction of coding in the UK primary schools has been lauded, it has caused controversy because the teachers don’t have the ability to teach it. Quality course content and first-class IT teaching in the Irish schools system are essential for it to be a success.

Provide an online portal for careers information for parents, students and teachersTeachers also need more information about the types of careers and jobs in the IT industry. Initiatives could include bringing female guest speakers from IT companies into classrooms to talk and answer questions, so students and their parents have more information for career choices.

Parents have a key role to play in moulding their children’s career choices but they often lack information about opportunities in IT. Industry and Government can work together to help parents with this task.

An online portal can be created with tailored information for teachers, parents and children. The portal will feature updated information on the type of careers and salaries available across IT through a mix of text and video.

Initiatives could be encouraged in Ireland such as #Techmums, a UK-based e-skills accredited programme of short, hands-on workshops that introduce mothers to online security, social media savviness, essential computing skills, app and web design.

WORK IMPROVE WORK ENVIRONMENTDevelop and launch an industry-supported national marketing campaign to challenge stereotypes and encourage more females into IT careersIncreased diversity of gender and skills in the IT sector stands to improve the industry as a whole. But popular assumptions may hamper such diversity and need to be challenged.

IT can often be seen as male-dominated and ‘geeky’ and the industry has a responsibility to counter that stereotype by promoting itself as a diverse, exciting place that welcomes women and men from all backgrounds.

As part of this wider awareness, young people and wider society need to have ready access to information about the skill sets that open up a wide range of opportunities for them in IT.

Promote more female role models in the IT industryIreland already has a number of prominent female leaders within the IT industry. But we need a more coordinated campaign that celebrates their work and achievements and encourages other women to become involved in the sector. Ireland’s leading IT companies, could work on such a campaign.

Develop a culture in industry for hiring potential that can be up-skilledIn recent years, particularly since the economic downturn, business and Government agencies have been involved in developing and establishing transition courses for individuals looking to move from other careers into IT – including those who are currently unemployed. However, in our experience as a recruiter, many companies tell us that they do not view the experience from these courses as sufficient to meet their employment requirements.

While arguably there may be room for further improvement with these transition courses, we would urge employers to ‘think outside the box’. A more productive solution would be to hire someone who they see as having the potential to meet their requirements even though these employees may require further in-company training.

The time and resources needed to mould raw skills into an effective and accomplished employee may ultimately be more productive for companies rather than engaging in an endless search for the ‘perfect’ employee at a time when there is a global skills shortage across the IT sector.



DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS

CULTURE BROADEN THE TALENT BASEDevelop an industry-led initiative to increase smart and remote working for parentsThe issue of getting the work-life balance right is not unique to the IT industry and many of our respondents would like to see greater flexibility.

Given the increasing use of mobile devices and remote access for work, the productivity of working parents outside ‘normal’ working hours needs to be recognised. Priority should be weighted on the delivery of high quality work and projects as opposed to needing to deliver during the ‘nine to five’.

Increase paternity support from Government and industryA number of respondents highlighted that paternity rights for fathers would not only alleviate the pressure on mothers, but it could also diminish the perceived negative attitude to maternity leave.

The IT industry should work with Government to explore how we can improve the current leave arrangement for fathers. Shared maternity leave entitlements between parents may be one option.

Introduce social mentoring networks for women at all levels in the IT industryOur survey highlighted the benefits of mentors and the need for mentor support. Some companies do already have their own internal mentoring programme, but where one does not exist, industry can help to fill this gap by facilitating intra-company mentoring networks for women outside of work.


22 | Women in IT

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