womenintechnology.co.uk

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are proud to present
Launch 8th March 2005
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Welcome and Agenda

• Speakers
• Maggie Berry, womenintechnology.co.uk
• Deborah Howard, IBM
• Carolyn Edwards, BritWIT
• Presentations
• Drinks, canapés
• Opportunity to network
• Information packs
• Whos here from McGregor Boyall and Techcentria

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womenintechnology.co.uk

• Sponsored by McGregor Boyall Associates and
  Techcentria - leading recruitment firms within
• financial markets technology
• lifestyle, entertainment and mobile technologies
• Kind of roles recruited for
• Application Developers and Technical Architects
• Business Analysts and Project Managers
• Network Engineers and Application Support
  Analysts

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Why launch womenintechnology.co.uk?

• On-going commitment to diversity and inclusion
  within the information technology workplace
• Follow on from the McGregor Boyall diversity
  seminar held in February 2004
• Well documented under-representation of women
  working in information technology roles
• Create a new information portal for female
  information technologists
• Encourage more discussion on the topic and bring
  the issue to a greater audience

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womenintechnology.co.uk - home page
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womenintechnology.co.uk - events page
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womenintechnology.co.uk careers page
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womenintechnology.co.uk - links page
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Acknowledged issues

• It is a high priority to get more women to take
  up IT careers. When technology firms are forced
  to recruit from half of the available talent
  pool, it is not surprising that there are skill
  shortages and jobs not being filledPatricia
  Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
  and Minister for Women
• The issue of attracting females into technology
  employment needs to be addressed
• The retention of female technologists has become
  a critical issue for all business sectors

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Some vital statistics...

• Women make up around 50 of the UK working
  population
• Women working in technology roles
• Statistics vary from 33 to less than 20
• The IT sector loses more women than it recruits
  (Women in IT Champions survey 2002)
• 36 of hires were women
• 46 of leavers were women

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Potential reasons why women leave their IT
careers

• Salary inequalities
• on average women earn 18 less than men
  (www.set4women.gov.uk)
• To have a family
• Limited career prospects
• Inadequate training and career development
• Lack of childcare facilities at work
• Undesirable work locations and long commutes
• Frequent travel

• These problems affect all industries not just IT
• Key concern - the IT industry is missing out on
  female talent
• Women are missing out on the rewarding careers
  available in the IT industry

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Perception versus reality

• A career in IT is perceived to be
• boring and uninspiring
• dull and monotonous
• just for the technically minded
• primarily for men
• In reality a career in IT can be
• varied and stimulating
• flexible and well paid
• The endemic characteristics of the IT industry -
  flexibility, constant challenges, new
  environments and methods of working - mirror the
  way in which many women work successfullyRebecca
  George, Chair of the Women in IT Forum

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Education

• 41 of Computer Studies GCSE students are girls
• 36 of Computer Studies A-Level students are
  girls
• 20 of Computer Science degree students are
  female
• www.hesa.co.uk (figures for 2002/2003)
• Attract girls whilst they are still at school -
  government initiatives include targeting those
  in
• pre-16 education e.g. Go for IT, Computer Clubs
  for Girls
• career choice post-16
• Educate graduates
• highlight what is appealing - communication
  skills, team working, creativity
• draw attention to the choice of roles available
  within technology
• increase the availability of undergraduate work
  placements

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How can firms retain more of their female IT
staff?

• Active promotion of a good work-life balance
• adoption of progressive employment practices
• Increased availability of female-friendly
  benefits
• Improved support systems
• networking groups
• mentoring schemes

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Work-life balance

• 93 of women and 81 of men want more flexibility
  in their working practices - Flexecutive survey,
  March 2004
• Government research shows that a good work-life
  balance
• decreases staff turnover and absenteeism
• increases staff motivation and productivity
• Options
• part-time
• job share
• flexitime
• home / remote working
• compressed hours
• annualised hours / term time working
• staggered hours
• time off in lieu

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Possible issues...

• In a recent survey for the DTi nearly 75 of
  respondents felt that moving to part-time or
  flexible hours would harm their career prospects
• Part-time and reduced hours are generally
  perceived as being inconsistent with the demands
  of senior roles
• Only full-time staff are seen as being 100
  committed to their jobs

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Potential female-friendly benefits

• Maternity leave
• offer a bonus or other incentives to return
• On site services
• fitness studio / gym, dry cleaner and concierge
  service
• Other Leave
• family leave, sabbaticals, study leave, unpaid
  leave during school holidays
• Comprehensive childcare support services
• emergency nanny care and holiday clubs

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Other ways to support your female staff

• Encourage female staff to join networking groups
• Women in IT Forum
• Women in Technology Network
• BritWIT
• Provide and champion internal networking events
  for women
• Set up mentoring schemes for women so they can
• support, mentor, share experiences, contacts and
  business opportunities
• Role models
• inspire younger staff

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Conclusions?

• Companies tell us they want the right skills,
  experience and academic qualifications regardless
  of gender
• Increase the attractiveness of the IT industry as
  an employer
• diversity of opportunity available within IT
• IT is not just for techies
• Business culture needs to change if women are to
  enter and remain in the information technology
  workplace
• Understand that women are more likely than men to
  require career breaks and flexible working hours
• increased availability of flexible working should
  allow more women to remain in the sector for more
  of their careers
• No reason for women not to have a rewarding
  career in IT

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womenintechnology.co.uk how will this site
help you?

• We hope the site will become a useful and
  successful networking portal for women working in
  information technology
• The site will hopefully encourage female
  technologists to apply for jobs through our
  sponsors web sites
• the more females who come through to these sites,
  the more female candidates will be put forward to
  clients
• McGregor Boyall and Techcentria
• 10 of the recruitment database is women
• 17 of placements over the past three years have
  been women
• From our own statistics
• We have to get 7.5 client first interviews to get
  men an offer
• We only have to get 5 client first interviews to
  get women an offer
• Increasing the number of female candidates on the
  database makes business and commercial sense

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Deborah Howard
IBM
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Carolyn Edwards

• BritWIT

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Networking

• Network / network n. v. a group of people who
  exchange information, contacts, and experience
  for professional or social purposes. (The Oxford
  Dictionary)
• Networking is people connecting with people,
  uniting ideas and resources (Jessica Lipnack
  Jeffrey Stamp) 
• Networking requires commitment and patience
  (Ann Boe Bettie B Young)
•  Networking is a process - an attitude, an
  approach to life - not something to do
•  Networking is the MOST EFFECTIVE Marketing Tool
•  Its Not Who You Know Its Who Knows You

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Six Degrees of Separation

• John Nesbitts concept of six degrees of
  separation Everyone is connected to every other
  person through no more than 6 other people.
• The trick is finding the connection!
• Who do you know who can connect you
• 70 of all jobs are found through Networking
• A referral generates 80 more results (sales)
  than a cold call 
• Most jobs are filled before the ads hit the
  street
• 80 of Business is Word of Mouth
• Become Visible Quality v Quantity

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Its Not YOUR Confidence That Counts. Its Their
Confidence in You!

• Maximise your Opportunities!
• Networking Success lies not in WHAT you do but
  HOW you do it
• Prepare Plan Your Action, Act Upon Your Plan
• Build Relationships Givers Gain
• Be Organised Manage Your Contacts
• Netiquette Voice Mail, Email, Internet,
  Blogging
• Follow Up 24 Hours
• Develop Resources Knowledge is Powerful
• Acknowledgement - Appreciation
• Positive Attitude Enthusiasm
• Listen, dont Hear
• Build Trust - Sincerity

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Masters of Networking Know That GIVERS GAIN

• A person who enables others to succeed is
  invariably sought after and respected (Arleen La
  Bella Dolores Leach)
• Hearing is one of the bodys five senses, but
  listening is an art (Frank Tyger)
• The meeting of preparation with opportunity
  generates the offspring we call luck (Anthony
  Robbins)
• Build Your Reputation
• Nurture Your Relationships
• Practice Effective Communications

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Whos here today

• Laurie Boyall - Managing Director
• Steven Sears - Business Development Manager
• Stewart Taylor - Technology Division Manager
• McGregor Boyall and Techcentria Consultants

• Adrian Plant
• Ben Davis
• Damon Whybrow
• Helen Edwardson
• Marcus Barber
• Nicola Henderson
• Richard Bowery

• Amy Cooper
• Cameron Douglass
• Gabor Szabo
• James Anderson Gordon
• Nick Waghorn
• Peter Buchanan Parker