The web portal is designed to help girls and women between the ages of 11 and 25 gain greater access to job opportunities, training, and career advice in order to pursue careers in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Some of the resources the website is hoping to provide include links to scholarships, internships, ICT contests and awards, tech camps and online networks where they can interact with other women working in an industry that is largely male-dominated.
In a news release, the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated the need for better resources for girls and young women since “while teenage girls now use computers and the Internet at rates similar to boys, they are five times less likely to consider a technology-related career.”
Hamadoun Touré, the ITU Secretary-General, explained that “I hope our new portal will serve as a showcase to attract the many talented girls and young women in countries worldwide to this booming sector.”
Studies have shown that girls tend to see the ICT sector as unfeminine, too challenging or just plain boring. However, the demand for these jobs worldwide is steadily increasing with not enough qualified individuals to fill the gap in the job market.
Therefore, the UN and development agencies are hoping that girls will step in to fill the gap and enable themselves to compete in a growing industry.
The European Union, for example, calculates that in 10 years there will be 700,000 more ICT jobs than there are professionals to fill them. Globally, that shortfall is estimated to be closer to two million.
“We hope our new Girls in ICT portal with its profiles and videos of women in ICTs will be a major catalyst in creating exciting and rewarding new choices for women worldwide,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Encouraging girls into the technology industry will create a positive feedback loop, in turn creating inspiring role models for the next generation.”
The UN’s International Women’s Day 2011 focused on the equal access to education, training and science technology as a pathway to decent work for women.
The focus had become to ensure that women acquire the necessary skills and competencies in science and technology as an economic imperative in that it empowers women and girls to make informed decisions on critical aspects of their lives, including their health.