Ideagen Partners with Nottingham Girls’ Academy to Encourage more Women into Technology
The global software firm – headquartered in Nottingham’s Ruddington Fields Business Park – has launched the ‘Ideagen Women in Technology’ Programme to drive engagement with young people in the local area alongside several careers bodies
Ideagen, the Nottingham-headquartered, global software firm, is teaming up with one of the top academies in Nottingham, Nottingham Girls’ Academy, as it looks to raise career prospects for women who want a career in technology.
The Ruddington-based company has joined with Nottingham Girls’ Academy as part of the ‘Ideagen Women in Tech’ programme.
Nottingham Girls’ Academy has created a careers strategy focussing on challenging gender stereotypes with the purpose on increasing the rate of girls embarking into science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) careers.
Students will conduct cloud and collaborative computing projects, complete work experience placements and take part in ‘Internet of Everything’ coursework for a product idea. There will also be curriculum learning on the fundamentals of Information Technology (IT), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, a careers networking session with Ideagen professionals and chances to win prizes through a challenging technology project. The programme also includes targeted support for students at key transition points throughout their secondary and 6th form education.
The programme with Ideagen – which is part of a wider initiative involving The Futures Group, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and Greenwood Academies Trust – involves all year groups in the school. It will also provide digital tech expertise and experiences to the new T-Level qualification being delivered in the 6th form.
Ideagen’s CEO, Ben Dorks, who has been an Enterprise Advisor for Nottingham City Schools since 2017, insists encouraging more women into technology careers is a personal passion.
Ben Dorks, CEO of Ideagen, said:
“It is vitally important that we at Ideagen, as a local employer and a successful and consistently growing technology leader in the global governance, risk and compliance (GRC) space, do all we can to encourage young people – and particularly young women – into careers in technology.
“Gender stereotypes and the low uptake on technology-related studies and subsequent careers for females are well documented. However, what firms such as ourselves can do is change that through ambitious, well planned and collaborative projects such as the Ideagen Women in Tech programme.
“This subject has been a personal passion for a number of years now, and I am delighted and privileged to be in a position to encourage more women into a career in technology.
“This is a truly fantastic initiative and I am particularly pleased to be working alongside the Nottingham Girls’ Academy in bringing this project to fruition.”
Ian Hepworth, Chief Technology Officer at Ideagen, added:
“This is a fantastic project and one that is taking place in a city filled with outstanding technological talent.
“Taking a leading part in this initiative and encouraging and nurturing the talent we have on our doorstep – while smashing gender or stereotypical barriers at the same time – is a very exciting challenge and one that I am particularly looking forward to.”
The ‘Ideagen Women in Tech’ programme will see students of Nottingham Girls’ Academy take part in several sessions and projects throughout each academic year.
Jenny Saunders, Careers Leader at Nottingham Girls’ Academy, said:
“We are excited to be part of this project as we know that future employment will involve our pupils building on their understanding of technology and its role in the workforce.
“This project enables a large cross section of our pupils to gain experience of how technology will impact their lives. Opening up discussions around career paths and helping our pupils reach their full potential is what we strive for at not just the Academy but at a Trust level.”
Tony Gaskell, Head of Computing and Business at the Girls’ Academy, added:
“We are really looking forward to collaborating with Ideagen. Girls and women are under-represented within STEAM subjects and employment. Ideagen is ideally placed to offer a variety of unique experiences to our students both in school and at their offices. By seeing women in these roles and also becoming aware of the huge variety of tech roles that are available, this endeavour will encourage and support our girls to enter this exciting and challenging field.”
Claire Knee, Lead Enterprise Co-ordinator at The Futures Group, said:
“It has been inspiring to see how the career aspirations of a school can be linked to the skills needs and culture of such a dynamic company in the form of Ideagen.
“Having the backing of Ben Dorks and the wider Ideagen team has given us the opportunity to structure a long term project that will have huge benefits for the young women in the school, as well as for Ideagen, as they attract and nurture their future workforce.”
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT
Ideagen
Joe O’Brien
PR Media Relations
Ideagen
+44 (0) 1629 699100
+44 (0) 7916 131501
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Ideagen
Ideagen is a UK-headquartered, global technology company quoted on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (Ticker: IDEA.L).
The Group provides software and services to organisations operating within highly regulated industries such as aviation, banking and finance and life science, healthcare and manufacturing with its main operational premises spread throughout the UK, EU, US, Middle East and SE Asia.
With an excellent portfolio of software products including Q-Pulse, Coruson, Pentana Audit, Pentana Performance and PleaseReview, Ideagen helps its clients reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, strengthen compliance and oversight and anticipate and manage every detail of risk.
Currently, more than 4,700 organisations use Ideagen's products including seven of the top 10 UK accounting firms, all of the top aerospace and defence companies and 75% of the world's leading pharmaceutical firms.
Ideagen's diverse and varied customer base includes many well-known, global brands such as British Airways, Aggreko, BAE, Ryanair, US Navy, KLM, BBVA, Bank of New York, Commerzbank, Meggitt, Heineken, Johnson Matthey, Haeco Group and European Central Bank. As well as this, Ideagen counts 180 hospitals across the UK and US amongst its client base.
Ideagen directly employs more than 500 members of staff and touches every continent globally.
What sets Ideagen apart?
- Ownership - UK AIM public listed company - Ideagen PLC - IDEA
- Accreditations - ISO 9001:2015; 14001 & 27001 certified
- Employees - Over 500 employees and a global Partner Network
- Customers - 4,700 companies using the Ideagen suite of products globally
- Support - Based in the UK, US and Asia, we provide 24/7 support
- 1993 - Year of formation
About The Futures Group
The Futures Group is an Ofsted Outstanding provider and delivers D2N2’s Enterprise Adviser Network in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
About D2N2
D2N2 is the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Local Enterprise Partnerships are private sector-led, locally-owned partnerships between business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary organisations. There are 37 LEPs in England.
They play a central role in deciding local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and create local jobs.
D2N2, established in 2010, is one of the largest LEPs in England, covering an area with a population of more than two million people and with an economic output of over £45billion GVA (Gross Value Added). Its Chief Executive Officer is Sajeeda Rose and its Chair Elizabeth Fagan.
D2N2’s target is to support the creation of 55,000 new jobs in D2N2 by 2023. The majority of these jobs will be in the private sector.
Its vision is of a more prosperous, better connected, and increasingly resilient and competitive economy.
Its purpose is to support and encourage economic growth in the D2N2 region.
See website www.d2n2lep.org or www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk
The D2N2 Enterprise Adviser Network – D2N2 believes greater collaboration between businesses and the education system gives employers the skilled people they need to grow their businesses (and the wider economy), and puts more people on the path to sustainable and fulfilling careers.
Working in partnership with the Government-backed Careers and Enterprise Company (see web link www.careersandenterprise.co.uk), the D2N2 LEP runs an Enterprise Adviser Network (EAN) across the LEP area (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire).
The Network is comprised of ten Enterprise Co-ordinators, coordinating the work of over 90 business volunteers – our Enterprise Advisers – with more than 100 schools, colleges and academies; developing better careers advice, and widening pupils’ experience of and attitudes to the world of work.
The EAN is always looking to grow its network, both of participating schools and volunteer Enterprise Advisers.
For more information and to contact the Enterprise Co-ordinator for your area see www.d2n2skills.co.uk/d2n2-ean
Joe O'Brien
PR & Media Relations
Ideagen
+44 (0) 1629 699100
+44 (0) 7916 131501
joseph.obrien@ideagen.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Ideagen is headquartered in Nottingham, England, UK, which is a Centre of Excellence site.
The company has three other Centre of Excellence sites globally including;
- Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- Raleigh, North Carolina, US
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, SE Asia
The company also has global, strategic operational premises including;
- Kansas, USA,
- Dubai, UAE,
- Sofia, Bulgaria,
- Taunton, UK,
- Leeds, UK,
- Chesterfield, UK,
- Bromsgrove, UK,
- Cork, Ireland.
