FLOW, one of the largest local employers of IT and other technical workers, is urging female students and new graduates to actively pursue careers in the fast-paced information and communication technology (ICT) industry.

The telecommunications firm will today join with thousands across the globe to observe Girls in ICT Day 2018. An initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the annual celebration is geared at empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider car​eers in the growing field of ICT while enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.

Kayon Mitchell, FLOW’s director of corporate communications and stakeholder management, said that while several technical roles are filled by women at FLOW and throughout the wider local telecommunications industry, there is still room for more.

“Regionally, the sector is marked by a pressing need for a wide range of ICT talents and this means that highly qualified women in technical fields have significant opportunities available to them. Girls in ICT Day is an opportunity for us to present the option of careers in the telecommunications industry to female students each year and as Jamaica’s leading full service telecommunications firm, we are able to provide real-life examples of fulfilling careers in ICT right here on Jamaican soil,” Mitchell said.

This year, to mark Girls in ICT Day, FLOW will partner with SheLeadsIT Consulting, Changemakers Development and other sponsors to host more than 300 secondary and tertiary level female students for a hackathon scheduled to take place at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

FLOW said it will be providing grants for technical or IT studies as well as opportunities for internship within the company’s local operations. FLOW will also be participating in a seminar being coordinated by the Spectrum Management Authority at the Sagicor Auditorium. Throughout the day, female executives from the company will also lead talks at prominent high schools regarding the opportunities available in Jamaica’s ICT sector for suitable candidates.

According to Mitchell, FLOW continues to provide opportunities for training and employment in IT through a number of internal and external training programmes, scholarships and internships for students.

“Our business has been a leader in Jamaica’s IT space over the past 140 years, significantly contributing to various advances and developments, and we continue to pioneer new horizons through the connectivity and support that we provide to various industries. Each year, our network technicians and other IT professionals are also exposed to training and certifications in cutting-edge technologies that place them among the most accomplished in their field across the region,” she added.

“We feel duty-bound to do as much as we can to further enable Jamaica’s future through technology and we do this by strongly supporting programmes, like Girls in ICT Day, that help to promote and promulgate interest in IT,” Mitchell said.

In February, Cable & Wireless (FLOW’s parent company) named its first female CEO, Inge Smidts, who now leads its operations across the Caribbean, Panama, the Bahamas and Seychelles.

Girls in ICT Day 2018 is being hosted under the theme: “Expand your horizons; change your attitude”.