Girls should look to ICT as a potential career – Gonsalves

A ONE-WEEK training workshop dubbed ‘Girls in ICT’ ended last Friday with a closing ceremony at the National Insurance Services conference room.

The workshop, which was hosted by the Information Communications Technology Department (ITSD) in conjunction with the Ministry of National Mobilisation, was held as part of activities to commemorate International Girls in ICT Day 2018.

Minister of National Mobilization Frederick Stephenson said his Ministry is pleased to collaborate with the ITSD for a second time to host the Girls in ICT workshop. He noted that the 24 young ladies who participated in the workshop were drawn for the various empowerment programmes of his Ministry, namely the Single Parent Programme, the Teen Mothers Progamme, the Yes Programme and the Social Protection Programme.

“These initiatives undertaken by my Ministry are efforts to transition their lives from a state of dependence to one of Independence,” he said.

Minister Stephenson noted that the participants were engaged in specialized training that would help them to not only gain employment, but also to perform tasks when employed.

Minister with responsibility for Information Technology, Camillo Gonsalves said Girls in ICT in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean on a whole must take on a different approach than Girls in ICT in different parts of the world.”

He said in other parts of the world there is a gender gap in academic achievements and participation in academic pursuits that we do not have in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean.

“In St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean, we must convince our girls to apply their considerable talents and achievements to the field of ICT.

He noted that they must be made aware that ICT and computing are the future for SVG and the Caribbean.

Minister Gonsalves urged girls to use their devices not just for social media purposes but also to develop applications and content that people would be excited to view and share and monetize for our country’s development.

“We have to tell our girls to look to ICT as a potential career,” the Minister of Technology said.

The two participants who spoke at the closing ceremony of the workshop thanked the ITSD and the Ministry of National Mobilization for affording them the opportunity to participate in the workshop. They noted that they entered the workshop with little or no knowledge in ICT and have left the workshop more advanced in the field.

The feature address was delivered by Seymourne Bascombe, Manager of Synotech.

On April 26, International Girls in ICT Day 2018, a Hakathon was held at the Methodist Church Hall for Girls in ICT in schools. The Vincentians girls were linked with girls in four other Caribbean countries to embark on ICT related activities.

The Girls in ICT Workshop which commenced on Monday April 23, focused on Document Preparation, Windows and File Management, Communication, Social Marketing, Web Designing, Data Storage, Budgeting, Internet PROs and Cons and Photography. The workshop was facilitated by the staff of the ITSD.

(API)

MINISTER WITH responsibility for Information Technology, Camillo Gonsalves