Building on the Legacy of ITWales, we held our annual International Women’s Day Celebration event on Tuesday 8 March 2022.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. Annually, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world including political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events.
We are proud to have hosted this year’s event for International Women’s Day, welcoming over 150 guests to the celebration. The evening has become a regular feature on the Welsh social calendar, with guests travelling from all parts of the country to attend.
This year was the 22nd anniversary of the event which focuses on women in STEM. The theme was For the Girls, and the event showcased the support available for young females hoping to work in the STEM sectors and the incredible work being done to encourage the next generation of scientists, focusing on our GiST (Girls into Science and Technology) programme. The evening was hosted by Swansea legend Kev Johns MBE and guest speakers included:
– Jeremy Miles MS, Welsh Government Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
– Rocio Cifuentes, incoming Children’s Commissioner for Wales
– The Intellectual Property Office
– Bridgend College
– Prince’s Trust
– EESW
– STEM Gogledd
– Merlin Warner-Huish, Technocamps Case Study
To start the evening, we heard from Jeremy Miles MS, who discussed the importance of using education to tackle gender inequalities in the workplace:
“We aim to support every learner to realise their ambitions.”
Rocio Cifuentes will start her role as the new Children’s Commissioner for Wales in April. In her speech, she told us about all the exciting things she has planned.
STEM Gogledd’s talk highlighted the importance of teaching pupils to use their skills to fulfil their potentials.
EESW discussed their wonderful work across Wales to encourage pupils to work in Engineering.
The IPO then spoke about everything they’re doing internally and externally to encourage girls into technology.
Bridgend College’s talk gave us a lesson in making sure our buildings and workspaces are designed to make females feel comfortable and recognised.
Next up was the Prince’s Trust, who are doing their bit to remove the barriers young women are facing in the STEM and Business industries.
We finished the evening with an inspirational talk from Merlin Warner-Huish, who has been attending Technocamps’ workshops for a number of years. These inspired her to study Computer Science at A Level and she hopes to study Computer Science at University next year.
“I would like to think I am a Technocamps success story. I feel very lucky to have been able to access their free resources and mentoring.”
We would like to thank all of our incredible partners and speakers for the success of this event. This event was made possible thanks to funding from the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund.
View full picture gallery here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzF9x4