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WHEN IT COMES to attracting more women to the boom industries of IT and science, one leading figure thinks an image makeover could be in order.
The director of Lero, the Irish software research centre, said there was no reason why women couldn’t be as successful as men in computing.
“But evidence suggests that many girls are turned off at an early age by its geeky, anti-social, overly masculine, nerdy image,” Professor Mike Hinchey said.
Out of more than 7,000 undergraduates studying computer science in 2013, only about 15% were female, according to the latest figures from the Higher Education Authority. In the fields of electronics and automation, women made up less than 9% of all students.
Hinchey pointed to a recent European Commission report which said there could be a “digital skills gap” in the region that resulted in 825,000 job vacancies by 2020.
Girls need to be encouraged and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) made more relevant if the technology sector is not to continue to lose this vital talent pool at an early age,” he said.
Skills shortages
In Ireland, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs recently reported skills shortages had appeared in jobs for engineers, IT professionals and scientists.
However the gender gap in the IT sector is by no means restricted to Ireland. Recent figures from Google showed women held just 18% of its technology jobs worldwide, while at Twitter the figure was 10%.
Hinchey’s comments came as Lero, which combines researchers from all the country’s universities, published its annual report. It showed the research centre filed three new patents last year to add to its portfolio of 22 inventions.
We are one of the infrastructural reasons why nine out of the ten top software companies in the world are located in Ireland; at the same time, we are playing a role as an important resource for Ireland’s growing indigenous software sector,” he said.
Last week an Oireachtas jobs committee report called for a €25 million investment fund to be set up for female Irish startup founders.
The measure was suggested as one of several “positive discrimination” moves that increase the small share of high-potential companies being launched by women.
First published 6.15am
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Increases in VAT..enforcing payment of wages during sick leave..banks freezing credit that are controlled by the government..increases in Prsi…any wonder there’s no confidence in the Kenny Circus.
Can’t believe you’re suggesting workers shouldn’t be paid for sick leave. It’s incredibly hypocritical to complain about the governmemt making it harder for you to get by when you’re complaining about something so basic that helps other people get by.
No problem with the State paying sick leave Evin but when you are trying to keep your chin above water during this economic sh*t storm, it’s ludicrous to expect a small business to pay someones wages when it can just about cover its weekly wage bill at best.
If you yourself are a business owner and you fall sick, do you dock your own pay for the amount of time you are sick?
It’s not just SMEs Bell-Enda
Would it not be easier to report on those who are satisfied with the governments performance? That would be the Troika and who else?
There would be a bit of a problem there Kerry. Not enough of us speak German .
Do like the French do when they not happy, shut all ports in protest!!! everything must come to a complete stop!
we need the unions to support that . and. that won’t. happen
SME pay the unions fee to represent them. Time for the dog to start waging its tail, instead of the other way round.
The model of banking just isn’t working. The EU is making it worse. All the banks are foreign owned. The names are misleading and calling them pillar and state adds to confusion. I do have a question if Wilber Ross owns 9% of BOI, and BOI got 45 billion bail out, did FG/Lab effectively give an American billionaire 4 billion?
enda and co. never had to run a small business . thy don’t understand what its like to try and keep up wit there every increasing
taxes . rates water charges. and all the stealth taxes that. thy keep pulling out of. there Ass. . . yet we are ment to pay. all this while our turnover gets smaller . week on. week . . FACT. MOST SMALL SHOPS HAVE A TURN OVER LESS THAN ENDA AND GILMORES WAGES PER WEEK . AVERAGE CORNER SHOP HAS A TURN OVER OF. LESS THAN 5K now pay. all expenses from that
total left for shop keeper after expenses . jack SHITE .
Everyone says they’re broke. How much is jack shite?
Why would you expect thanks just a load of parasites living off your work. Time to stop being made a mug of join the Labour Party screw your neighbour and never do a days work again. Simples
Evin a lot less THAN your dole. and before you reply . do you own a shop . are you self employed . if. the answer is no then. don’t. comment we the shop keeper and self employed are the back bone of. this country . . we create the jobs we collect vat on. behalf of. the government . and get no thanks for it . except penalized for been late wit payment . . every month the miracle of. the 5 loafs and 5 fish takes place in every small business across Ireland.
John, lets not get all exclusive here in the pain party. Without the consumer, you dont have a business. Therefore you dont “create” jobs. What’s good for the consumer, i.e everyone in the state, is ultimately good for you. There’s other’s beyond the self employed that need a break too.
I’m not self employed and I’m not on the dole. I work and pay taxes and spend my money which helps create jobs. I don’t see why you’re the backbone. I’d say everyone that works and spends money in this country is the backbone.
I happilly pay any taxes I owe because I know people who don’t have money need me to. We pay some of the lowest taxes out of any developed country in the world and yet we still complain.
Maybe the problem isn’t with the government or with taxes. Maybe the problem is with how your business is operating, whether you’re catering to your customers needs, and whether you’re reinventing yourself enough to still be relevant to the current market.
You got no thanks and there is none coming your way either!!
have your say