Cisco Supports United Nations’ Girls in ICT Day with Girls Power Tech Initiative to Inspire Youth to Create the Digital Jobs of Tomorrow

LONDON – April 16, 2015 – Cisco today announced the launch of ‘Girls Power Tech’, a global mentoring initiative to support and complement the United Nations’ ‘Girls in ICT Day’. ‘Girls Power Tech’ is focused on encouraging girls and young women in more than 50 countries, and 80 Cisco offices, to discover opportunities opened by careers in information and communication technology (ICT).

Girls ages 13-18 are invited to participate in Girls Power Tech mentoring opportunities with Cisco employees, allowing girls to make informed career choices about working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).  They will also experience Cisco technologies and meet with other Girls in ICT Day participants via Cisco TelePresence.

According to the European Commission, only 30 percent of the region’s ICT workforce is women. This is compounded by the fact that only 29 out of every 1,000 female graduates have a computing or related degree with only four of those going on to work in ICT-related services.

Girls in ICT Day on April 23 is an annual day of activities organized by the International Telecommunications Union aimed at improving the understanding of careers in ICT amoung girls. Cisco has supported Girls in ICT since its inception in 2011.

Supporting Quote:

Chuck Robbins, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Cisco 

“The technology industry has never been more dynamic or more exciting.  Now, more than ever, we need to be doing all we can to build the diverse talent pipeline that will lead our industry into the future.  Girls Power Tech allows young women to explore the incredible opportunities available to them in the technology sector and helps to build the skills and the mindset needed to be our leaders of tomorrow.”

Supporting Resources: 

CSR Program: Girls Power Tech 

Celebrating Girls in Tech

Follow the hashtags #GirlsPowerTech and #GirlsinICT

Tags: #GirlsinICT, #IoE, #GirlsPowerTech, diversity

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