Are you a woman interested in IT?

Recruiters are looking to increase the number of females working in the highly male-dominated IT field. Employers, particularly in finance, are hoping to diversify their workforce and bring new talent and ideas into their technology divisions. eFinancial careers has recently published an article highlighting the need for female IT talent in the financial sector. If you are a woman interested in IT, this is a great time to start your graduate career!

Upcoming IT Events for Women

• IT is Not Just for Boys!- Friday 5 November 2010. This event is for female undergraduates and is designed to give them an insight into technology careers and leading employers in the sector. The event is sponsored by Barclays, Bloomberg and CHP Consulting and will give attendees the opportunity to network with employers and take part in interactive skills sessions. For full information visit the TargetEvents website

• CityView- Wednesday 3 November 2010. CityView is designed to introduce female students to technology careers within an investment bank. 11 banks are attending including Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. The event will consist of a mix of presentations, panel discussions and informal networking. For more information visit the CityView website

Drop by your university’s Careers Service for more information about IT careers and help with the application process.

Looking for funding?

The 2011 Google Scholarship for Students with Disabilities,  is for students studying Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics or closely related technical fields.

Recipients will each receive a EUR 7,000 scholarship and an all-expenses-paid networking retreat to Google’s Engineering Centre in Zurich, with workshops, speakers, panels, breakout sessions and social activities for meeting and share experiences.

The deadline for applications is 20th January 2011.For more information on this fantastic opportunity please see -http://www.google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe/>

Women into IT – networking opportunities

And that’s networking in the person-to-person sense rather than PC-to-PC!

For women interested in IT, there are a growing number of professional networks available offering training, workshops and general networking events that could be really useful to help you find opportunities and decide if the culture of IT is for you.

Here are some networks you might like to take a look at:

• Silicon Stilettos, London http://www.meetup.com/Silicon-Stilettos/
• London Girl Geek Dinners http://londongirlgeekdinners.co.uk/ (not in London? Girl geek dinners are global – see http://girlgeekdinners.com/ for a range of locations within the UK and beyond).

London Girl Geek Dinners recently included notification of a Bank of England networking event for female students and graduates interested in IT on Thursday 29th October which is definitely worth a look.

Please note, I have not attended events with either of these so don’t see this as an endorsement, rather as a suggestion of something to try!

The Women in Technology website is also well worth a look  as their events calendar is packed with related networking events, workshops and more (N.B. some are free but not all, so make sure you check the costs before you signup).

And finally, the UKRC – United Kingdom Resource Centre for women in science,  engineering and technology, website includes listings for events across the UK as well as links to the GetSET Women community, and training funding opportunities.

If you attend any of these events, why not share a quick review on the forum!