A top tech morning of networking and workshops for Year 9
Computer Science and IT were top of the agenda for Year 9 as they took part in our annual Technology Matters event, a morning designed to inspire the girls and give them an insight into the careers and higher education options open to them with a background in Computer Science or IT.
The morning kicked off with a fantastic talk from Karina Walker, Partner Development Manager at InvestIN Education, who spoke to the girls about key stages of evolution in the workplace. Karina highlighted how the fourth industrial revolution - in technology - is changing the world as we know it. She spoke insightfully about the new skills required and how important it is for our girls to understand and develop them throughout their careers.
In order to demonstrate these skills further, the morning then moved on to a range of activities and workshops including ‘speed networking’. For this session we welcomed guests from a wide range of careers in tech and the girls were given three minutes with each guest to find out as much information about their career path and any tips/advice they could offer. Our professionals ranged from SEO specialists, translators, and graphic designers, to Computer Science Ph.D. students and one of our Year 13, Sixth Form students currently studying BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in IT.
Four more workshops were delivered by industry professionals on discovering careers in tech, social media for business, forensic computer science, and programming. These were interactive sessions in which the girls were required to be digital detectives, learned how to design a business plan to increase a business’s social media following, and even how to code a digital bubble to stop it from popping.
The girls really enjoyed their morning, gaining plenty of valuable insight into careers in tech, and even got the chance to brush up on their networking skills!
“I really enjoyed the Tech Matters event, because we met professionals who use technology in their business and how we can use technology in our jobs in the future. My favourite part was the coding because we learned how to make a game using Python and we learned a new skill.” Adithi, Year 9.