MANCHESTER, NH — The New Hampshire High Tech Council announces TechWomen|TechGirls, a new forum focused on building a strong community of women enthusiastic about technology and supporting efforts where girls are exploring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) as a career or area of study.
TechWomen|TechGirls will hold programs for professional women to connect, collaborate, and explore ideas around career development, technology initiatives, and innovation. The community will also deploy volunteers and mentors to support academic STEM initiatives and events for girls across New Hampshire.
“The national data is staggering for women: Google’s workforce 30 percent, Yahoo 37 percent, Facebook 31 percent and LinkedIn 39 percent female,” said Catherine Blake, president and founder of Sales Protocol International and NHHTC board member.
“The tech sector is sorely behind because too few girls are pursuing studies in these growing and well-paying fields related to STEM. Through this new forum, we plan to demonstrate that women can and do succeed in the tech sector and there are tremendous career opportunities in STEM,” Blake said.
She added that one of the key drivers for both girls and women is encouragement, community and mentoring.
Led by Blake, TechWomen|TechGirls is building a committee that will be planning a series of events to support networking, education, and outreach. The first formal effort for TechWomen|TechGirls is the Council’s sponsorship of Girl’s Technology Day March 18 at the New Hampshire Technical College in Concord and March 19 at Manchester Community College.
Organized by the New Hampshire Department of Education and the Community College System of New Hampshire, this statewide event will promote careers in technology and support student awareness of post-secondary offerings in support of such careers. The event will attract over 500 girls who were nominated by their teachers to attend
“We look forward to another successful Girl’s Technology Day this year,” said Lisa Danley, State Director of Career and Technical Education, Career Development Bureau, New Hampshire Department of Education.
“This program has quadrupled in size since its beginning three years ago, expanding to two days in 2015. The recent release of the Governor’s STEM Task Force Report highlights the need to address equity in STEM career opportunities. We are eager to inspire New Hampshire’s young women to explore STEM. The New Hampshire High Tech Council’s involvement and the launch of TechWomen|TechGirls could not have come at a better time.”
For more information about getting involved with TechWomen|TechGirls, please contact Catherine Blake at cblake@salesprotocol.com or 603.828.7312.
