Solent backs national IT recruitment campaign for women
A Southampton Solent University lecturer will be one of 30 influential women working in IT being featured in a national campaign aimed at encouraging more women into this area.
During the campaign, Professor Margaret Ross MBE, Principal Lecturer in IT at Southampton Solent, will blog about her career and experiences on ‘The BCS, Chartered Institute for IT’ website on Sunday 25 May 2014.
The campaign is aimed at women of all ages, from students to women returning to work.
Professor Ross was elected to the BCS Council in 1998 and was a Senator to the Engineering Council.
She says: “I feel so pleased to have been chosen, and hope that I can encourage women to consider technology as a career. Jobs are now so varied that the route to a top technology job could be through programming, technical communications or through good communication and problem solving skills.”
Margaret continued: “Today we are facing a serious future skills shortage in technology, so I hope this campaign can help to attract more students to consider a career in technology".
One of Margaret’s own role models has already featured in the campaign - Dame Stephanie Shirley, an Honorary Doctor of Southampton Solent University and the first Woman President of BCS.
To find out more about the campaign visit or follow on twitter at #womeninit
Notes for Editors:
• Women account for between 15-18% of the IT profession in the UK
• Some of the biggest names in IT today have signed up to support the campaign including entrepreneur Cary Marsh, CEO of Mydeo, Dame Stephanie Shirley who started her own software business in 1962 because of the dearth of opportunities for women in the profession, Professor Dame Wendy Hall Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton, Maggie Philbin, CEO of TeenTech and technology journalist and author Kate Russell
• Dame Stephanie Shirley was the First Woman President of BCS. She came to England from Germany as an unaccompanied refugee in 1933, and set up the first software house for women and was made a Dame by the Queen for services to IT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8031 9642 or email press.office@solent.ac.uk
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The university was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2013 poll of students. It has been awarded ‘Gold approval’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
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