MEDIA RELEASE: Leading Scottish firms sign up to Girl Geek Scotland’s ‘Declaration Of Support For Women In Technology’

GIRL GEEK SCOTLAND MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Belinda Love
Tel: +44(0)7850 565 819
Email: belinda@girlgeekscotland.com

Leading Scottish firms sign up to Girl Geek Scotland’s ‘Declaration Of Support For Women In Technology’

Melissa Highton (The University of Edinburgh Learning Teaching and Web Services), Jock Millican (LINC Scotland), Morna Simpson (GGS), Katie Lyne (CivTech), Jen Paton (Administrate), Andrew Williams (Administrate), Chris Brind (Waracle and Exception), Dr Jamie Graves (ZoneFox), Jane Grant (Edinburgh College), Issy Urquahart (Craneware), Jessica Mullen (Create Future). Photo credit: Girl Geek Scotland.

ZoneFox, Craneware, and The University of Edinburgh Learning, Teaching and Web Services amongst inaugural supporters

Leading digital technology network Girl Geek Scotland has launched a new Declaration Of Support For Women In Technology with backing from LINC Scotland, Administrate, Skyscanner, Create Future, & Waracle and Exception.

 

The new Declaration aims to improve equality in IT across Scotland. Currently only 18% of the Scottish IT workforce is female – impacting not only workplaces around the country but also the economy.

Morna Simpson, founder of Girl Geek Scotland, said:

“While 50/50 gender balance may not be possible, having only 18% of the IT industry being female is something that is holding Scotland back. It needs to change and now.”

To this end, the declaration calls for organisations to commit to:

  • Sharing Best Practice: To improve working processes, culture and environment to appeal to and retain women across the digital technology ecosystem.
  • Profiling Women: Either by offering speakers, mentors or role models for events across the digital technology ecosystem.
  • Training for Women: Supporting and enabling the widest distribution of lifelong training and resources in digital technology sectors, sub-sectors and associated sectors across Scotland.
  • Being Visible Allies: Promoting women in technology by contributing to events and supporting the widest distribution of promotional materials to inspire women to enter into or remain in digital technology sectors.

 

Morna Simpson thinks the stakes are too high for Scotland to get this wrong.

She said:

“Digital Technology is a growing sector in Scotland, and becoming a more important part of our economy every day. However, a global, digital Scotland will only succeed with digital talent that is globally competitive.

“Currently women only make up 18% of the Digital Technology workforce. Despite a strong education sector only 38% of women graduating from IT courses hold IT positions. If Digital Technology employers cannot find a way to attract more women into careers in tech, then the whole economy will continue to be constrained by lack of digital expertise.

“If Scotland is to achieve its ambition of becoming a world-class digital nation by 2020, it is essential that employers and organisations across the Digital Technology ecosystem commit to and collaborate in making the Digital Technology sector appeal to and retain women.”

With the Declaration comes a call to working with those who are sincere about improving Scotland’s opportunities. Morna Simpson said:

“We are respected in the community and well connected with investors, businesses, politicians and other organisations. As well as holding world-class panel events, we hold coding classes, hackathons, and run a mentoring community. These activities are part of an integrated programme whereby people are given the inspiration, skills, practice, and business advice needed to launch a startup business in digital tech. They enable movement up the pipeline; they enable entry into a technology career from another sector, but more importantly they are designed with women in mind.”

It is on the back of this activity that Girl Geek Scotland recently won a tender to deliver a Role Model and Mentoring Framework in Digital Technology for School Aged Girls across Scotland, on behalf of Skills Development Scotland.

The first organisations to sign the Declaration are:

Jock Millican of LINC Scotland said:

“LINC Scotland is happy to support the Declaration as we think it is important to support women in technology and enterprise. We have a growing number of female led technology businesses in our portfolio including from our Equity Gap: Leah Hutcheon at Appointedd, Alison Grieve at GHold, and Rebecca Pick at Pick Protection.”

Chris Martin, CEO of Waracle said:

“I’m proud to be part of the technology industry – this is an industry that has potential to give all people an equal chance to succeed. I believe technology is inherently liberal and diverse, but it’s not yet 100%, and I hope Girl Geek Scotland can help our sector realise its full potential, while at the same time serve as a role model for diversity in more traditional industries.  Our whole company is delighted to support Girl Geek Scotland.”

Melissa Highton, Assistant Principal and Director at The University of Edinburgh Learning, Teaching and Web Services said:

“The University of Edinburgh is committed to encouraging women working in technology roles. All parts of higher education are being transformed by digital services and new ways of learning and teaching. Our support for Girl Geek Scotland is a valuable part of our approach to this and recognition of the many and varied careers emerging in these new exciting areas.”

Issy Urquhart of Craneware said:

“Craneware is thrilled to support Girl Geek Scotland in its efforts to further diversity in the technology community. Girl Geek Scotland’s mission to drive diversity and creativity in high growth sectors is a mission we wholeheartedly share.”

Belinda Love of Girl Geek Scotland said:

“Girl Geek Scotland has become well known for supporting women in technology, digital media, and enterprise – as well as many crossover sectors and sub-sectors – and our Declaration has formalised and focused our four key aims. Organisations that support us will be showing that they align with these values, which we have seen in our network and community can inspire life-changing effects. We are very grateful to the organisations who have subscribed to our Declaration from the outset, their support will really help us achieve our goals.”

If your organisation is interested in signing the Declaration for Supporting Women in Technology you can sign and subscribe here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/supportggs

ENDS

 

 

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

IMAGES:

Launch images are available – FOR MEDIA AND SUBSCRIBER USE ONLY – for download here: https://gallery.girlgeekscotland.com/#collection/14

High resolution Girl Geek Scotland logos are available for download here: https://gallery.girlgeekscotland.com/#collection/5

Support badges are available – FOR MEDIA AND SUBSCRIBER USE ONLY – for download here: https://gallery.girlgeekscotland.com/#collection/2

General GGS event images available – FOR MEDIA USE ONLY – for download here: https://gallery.girlgeekscotland.com/#collection/7

Note to media: Morna Simpson can be reached for comment on 07533329507 and morna@girlgeekscotland.com

(Any other usage please contact belinda@girlgeekscotland.com for permission.)

GIRL GEEK SCOTLAND:

Girl Geek Scotland (GGS) is a network and community for women working with Creativity, Computing and Enterprise, and related sectors in Scotland. GGS aims to develop a network of women, who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers, working at the intersection between these areas.

KEY SPONSORS:

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

LINC Scotland

LINC Scotland is the national association for business angels in Scotland, with a membership which includes many active individual investors and most of the main angel groups or syndicates. We represent our members at government level in Edinburgh, London and Brussels and were founding members of both the European Business Angels Association (EBAN) and the World Business angels Association (WBAA). Since 1993, we have played a significant and active part in changing the business culture in Scotland and the Scottish business angel marketplace is now recognised as amongst the most developed in Europe.

Posted in Media Releases, News by

EVENT: All Around The Blockchain – Applications NOW OPEN!

Applications are NOW OPEN for:

 

All Around The Blockchain

 

Apply Now! 

We are running a short course for women, to learn the basics of working with Blockchain technologies in a friendly and supportive setting.

All Around The Blockchain

You do not need previous experience of working with Blockchain to apply for these workshops.

This course is an introduction to Blockchain technology and is aimed at learners with some experience of programming.

Who is this course for?

We will be concentrating on two main areas of back-end functionality, and front end UX design and user experience. We are looking for learners who are interested in developing their knowledge of one or both of those areas. Learners will be organised into small teams in a collaborative learning environment and have the support of an expert programmer in their team.

  • Applicants to do back end development should have some recent experience of programming, and knowledge of at least one common  general use language (e.g. Python, Ruby, Java, Javascript).
  • Applicants to do UX design and development should have some recent experience in this area.

We encourage learners to do a bit of their own coding in between the two sessions, during which time the volunteer coaches will be available for online advice and support.

IMPORTANT: We are unable to supply laptops for this event, so all applicants must bring a laptop, and may be asked to do some setup/installation of required software in advance.

How to apply

 

IMPORTANT: Registering for a ticket does not guarantee a place on our workshops.

 

Each applicant will primarily be assessed based on their motivations for participating in the course. When you register you will answer a few questions about yourself including:

  1. Why you wish to attend this course
  2. How this course will help you work towards your career goals
  3. What your experience is in programming and with UX design and development tools

We will also be balancing applications against one another, to ensure that we develop the ideal teams for our learning environment, with mixed skills and abilities. If there are no tickets shown as available, please sign up for the waitlist.  We will contact you by email if you are successful in gaining a place on our course.

From First App to Creative Hacks!

This is a feeder event for our Hackathon for Entrepreneurs, taking place in March and April, and will help you develop the skills to build an awesome Blockchain app. The course gives you the opportunity to familiarise yourselves with tools to create prototypes of innovative Blockchain-based apps at the event. The hack events are also structured so that participants can work on their project flexibly over a month, to encourage participation from people who are put off by the usual hackathon format of a long sleep-deprived weekend!

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is a secure distributed ledger technology, probably best known for its use as the basis for the Bitcoin virtual currency.  It has many more applications in finance and beyond, and an increasing number of organisations in Scotland are using it – not just startups, but large multinational companies and the public sector.  This makes experience with Blockchain a great thing to have on your CV!

Important Dates

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:

Sunday 12th February midnight

COURSE DATES:

Sunday February 19th, 2-5pm Sunday March 5th, 2-5pm

HACK DATES:

Sunday March 26th, 2-5pm Sunday April 23rd, 2-5pm

 

Register your application on Eventbrite

**If there are no tickets shown as available, please sign up for the waitlist.  We will contact you by email if you are successful in gaining a place on our course.**

 

Girl Geek Scotland

At Girl Geek Scotland our aim is to grow a community of professionals and entrepreneurs who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers in computing, creativity, and enterprise. A big part of this is ensuring that there are role models for everyone to learn from and aspire to. Girl Geek Scotland welcomes people from all gender identities, physical abilities, neurotypical and atypical people, religions and ethnicities. We ask everyone attending to show respect for others at all times.

GGS Event Policies

Please refer to our Anti-Harassment Policy and Event Photography / Videography Policy as set out on our website. Your acceptance of which is assumed should you register to attend one of our events.

With thanks

With enormous thanks to our partners, sponsors and suppliers who help us make this happen. They are:

 

NCR Edinburgh has grown from a successful software startup to an integral part of a global, multi-billion dollar organisation. Every day, NCR powers more than 500 million self service transactions with solutions for customers in the financial, retail, hospitality, travel and telecoms sectors.

 

EdinburghNapierUniversity

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

 

BRT working logo

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

Posted in Events, Media Releases, News by

EVENT: Cyber Angels: Closing The Talent Gap

Join us for our FREE Cybersecurity speaker event, on the 16th of February at Codebase in Edinburgh. Learn more about the sector, network with some great people, and learn about ways that you can become a “Cyber Angel”.

Cyber Angels Closing The Talent Gap

We welcome newbies considering entering into this career, people currently working in Cybersecurity, Entrepreneurs and anyone who is interested in learning more about how they can transfer their skills in to this sector.

As usual Girl Geek Scotland will provide plenty of time for networking, wine and nibbles.

VISIT OUR EVENT PAGE TO REGISTER

 

Speakers

(Host) Samantha Leeman – Senior Consultant – Girl Geek Scotland/Bright Purple Resourcing

Alison McAlroy – Information Security Manager – Committee Member – ISACA

Katie Lyne – Civ Tech Manager- Scottish Government

Jamie Graves – CEO – ZoneFox

Claire Reid – Partner, Assurance Business Unit Leader  – PWC

 

Agenda

6.00 – 6.30pm Registration & Networking

6.30 – 6.40pm Introduction

6.40 – 7.45pm Presentations

7.45 – 8.30pm Audience Q&A

8.30 –  9.00pm Networking & Wrap up.

 

Refreshments

Wine/soft drinks and canapes. (Not a full dinner event)

 

About this event

Keen to address the talent gap and lack of women who work in Cybersecurity, Samantha Leeman from Bright Purple Resourcing, also one of our Event Managers at Girl Geek Scotland, is running this event.

The skills shortage in Cybersecurity is something that is and continues to be well documented; by 2018 there will be a global shortage of 4.2 million people who work in the sector. And according to (ISC)2’s latest study, only 6% of those working in the sector are women, a drop of 4% after the figure remained unchanged for 2 years at 10%.

So if you are considering a career change, or starting your own business in Cybersecurity, want to learn from others who have and be introduced to networks who can support you, come along to the event!

 

Girl Geek Scotland

At Girl Geek Scotland our aim is to grow a community of professionals and entrepreneurs who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers in computing, creativity, and enterprise. A big part of this is ensuring that there are role models for everyone to learn from and aspire to.

Girl Geek Scotland welcomes people from all gender identities, physical abilities, neurotypical and atypical people, religions and ethnicities. We ask everyone attending to show respect for others at all times.

 

GGS Event Policies

Please refer to our Anti-Harassment Policy and Event Photography / Videography Policy as set out on our website. Your acceptance of which is assumed should you register to attend one of our events.

 

With thanks

With enormous thanks to our partners, sponsors and suppliers who help us make this happen. They are:

ISACA

The ISACA® Scottish chapter was formed in March 2002 to provide ISACA® members living or working in Scotland with the opportunity to network with fellow professionals. We also provide training and professional development opportunities in Scotland.

 

Zonefox

ZoneFox makes it simple to align your security needs with your business needs by giving you crucial visibility around data movement across your organization, exposing existing security gaps and ensuring you’re compliant.

 

Codebase

Codebase is the largest technology incubator in the uk and one of the fastest growing in europe.

 

EdinburghNapierUniversity

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

 

BRT working logo

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

Posted in Events, Media Releases, News by

EVENT: Mentoring: Sticky Floors – Registration Now Live

 

Girl Geek Scotland Mentoring Community: Sticky Floors

Is your mind honed for opportunity? Do you project confidence? … or… Is your subconscious holding you back? Nice girls don’t get the corner office!  At least that is what we hear – but it is all too easy to lay blame on the Glass Ceiling. So, what can you do to improve your mind-set AND your opportunities? In this workshop we will have a range of speakers who work as personal coaches, and can help you think differently to overcome the subconscious blocks that are holding you back in your career.

Event Details

This event is taking place at Waverley Gate in Edinburgh on the evening of Tuesday 7 February 2017. We will have some great speakers and breakout sessions – along with the usual time for drinks and networking. Bring those business cards!

Date: Tuesday 7th February 2017

Time: 6:30-10pm

Location: Amazon Development Centre Scotland, 2-4 Waverley Gate, Ground Floor Meeting Suite, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG

Cost to attend: FREE

Refreshments available: small snacks, drinks

What you need to bring: This is a networking event so don’t forget your business cards!

What we need from you: For entry to the building YOU MUST REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE.

 

“Creating Compelling Outcomes” – Maria Hamilton will discuss NLP approaches to ‘Sticky Floors’ – overcoming our internal barriers to achieving things. To create and manage compelling outcomes this presentation will cover the 4 levels to success; managing your thinking, language, emotions and behaviour.

Girl Geek Scotland’s Mentoring Community

We are working to build a fantastic community and make it as easy as we can for interested people to find mentors in their area. If you are looking for advice or guidance from those working in your industry, in similar situations, on how to get into the industry, how to handle difficult situations, or almost anything we will find you a mentor to work with you. You may also have skills, knowledge or experience that another member of the community is interested in, so be prepared to share! The Girl Geek Scotland Mentoring Community is running its first live networking event for anybody who wants to be part of the mentorship community. The event and the mentoring community is open to people of all genders, over 18-years-old.

Why not sign up to find a Mentor or Mentee?

If you’re looking for a mentor in the technology or related sectors why not join our mentoring community. When you sign up you should also think about how you could mentor others, everyone has something to offer. Graduates can mentor university students, people moving into technology for the first time may have great skills in communication and leadership. Being a mentor can give you the opportunity to grow your skillset and help others! It will only take 5 minutes to sign up for the community, any information you share with us will be private, but we will use it to find you the best mentee / mentor. Sign up to the mentoring community here.

What happens once I register?

We aim to pair you up with the perfect person for you whether a mentee or mentor and make those initial introductions. Many people worry about the time commitment – don’t. Most mentee/mentor relationships are only 1 hour per month!

Sign up for our Online Community

Register for the GGS online community and be the first to find out about new events, the latest new or strike up a conversation with others: http://www.girlgeekscotland.com/join

REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT FOR FREE HERE ON EVENTBRITE

GGS Event Policies

Please refer to our Anti-Harassment Policy and Event Photography / Videography Policy as set out on our website. Your acceptance of which is assumed should you register to attend one of our events.

With thanks

With enormous thanks to our partners, sponsors and suppliers who help us make this happen. They are:


Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh is responsible for devising and growing innovations for Amazon around the world. Small teams of developers, designers and leaders run major parts of Amazon’s business, technology and operations. From interactive UI design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning, we do whatever it takes to deliver great products and experiences for our customers.

This is a place where you can make a real difference to customers by inventing, enhancing and building world-class software and delivering amazing results. We offer exceptional opportunities to grow your technical and non-technical skills by working on exciting and challenging projects.

Enigma People Solutions are a multi award winning recruitment consultancy, specialising in contract and permanent vacancies across: Digital Media, Software Development, Electronics, Technology Sales & Marketing, Technology Support, We offer a professional, flexible, and honest consultancy service to businesses across Scotland, The UK, and internationally.

Cathcart Associates was founded by a team of the country’s most successful recruiters, with a desire to show that good recruitment consultancy should provide a service which is simple, professional and effective. Their approach demonstrates that recruiting technical talent can be simple, seamless and enjoyable, and provides a service which adds value at every stage of the recruitment process. They are an agile and independent organisation with no parent group and are able to offer a more cost-effective solution, allowing investment more freely into their database and advertising reach.

Spring

Spring Personnel specialise in all aspects of office based and industrial recruitment. Their expertise lies in the provision of flexible staffing programmes, developed to ensure that clients receive a comprehensive staffing service. Their consultative approach is designed to ensure that each client experiences a service that is relevant to their recruitment strategy and organisation. From one-off assignments to totally managed recruitment programmes Spring Personnel has the expertise and resources to deliver a full range of recruitment services, addressing the entire recruitment cycle.

Administrate are a dedicated team that are passionate about making lives better through software. They spend most of their day talking to, developing for, and thinking about training providers (their customers) and their students. Their software helps training companies and training departments manage their entire business. Their integrated online system includes three products that focus on making training administration easier, helping deliver outstanding e-learning, and assisting in keeping websites up-to-date.

Informatics

Informatics Ventures supports globally ambitious technology companies headquartered in Scotland. Through practitioner-led entrepreneurship education and community networking, they prepare and equip Scotland’s technology entrepreneurs to scale up internationally. Engage Invest Exploit (EIE), their flagship technology investor showcase, connects Scotland’s most exciting and innovative young companies with investors from all over the world and prepares them for the process of securing investment. There is no bigger platform for Scottish businesses than EIE.

SISCA

SICSA The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) is a Scottish Funding Council Research Pool, comprising 14 of Scotland’s Universities. Our goal is to develop Scotland’s research excellence in Informatics and Computing Science (ICS) by supporting and facilitating collaboration among our members.

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current

Posted in Events, Media Releases, News by

ARTICLE: Cyber Angels – Event Summary

By Samantha Leeman, Bright Purple Resourcing. Original article available here.

As part of Samantha’s exciting work with us all at Girl Geek Scotland, she did a fantastic job hosting the first GGS – Cyber Angels event on the 22nd of September at Codebase in Edinburgh.

Speakers at the event included Alison McAlroy – Information Security Manager; Chelsea Sievewright – Information, Risk and Security Consultant; Jamie Graves – CEO; and Laura Johnston – Associate Consultant. They all did a brilliant job inspiring the audience to consider a career in cybersecurity and put themselves out there as exceptional role models for attendees to look up to, in the world of cybersecurity.

With over 60 people attending, there was a real buzz in the room, and it was a fantastic opportunity for all attendees to meet new people and increase their network.

Chelsea Sievewright spoke about “the ripple effect” of cyber-attacks and that there is no metric to measure the impact that these attacks have on people and families creating unmeasurable stress and anxiety. Alison McAlroy from Tesco Bank told everyone her inspirational story of how she broke into the sector and secured her present role. She said, “Jump!! And the net will appear.”

Then Jamie Graves shared his experience so far as an entrepreneur, along with the business lessons he has learned as a ‘reformed academic’ in the form of cat pictures which brought some amusement to the audience. Jamie’s quote of the night was, “Luck is where opportunity meets great preparation.” To conclude, Laura Johnston spoke about the Cyber Threat landscape and her journey into cyber from a non-technical background. She left the audience with a thought provoking finish saying, “If you’re the smartest in the room you’re in the wrong room.”

The night culminated in a Q&A with the audience and the speakers, which was very well coordinated by Samantha.  She was even put on the spot with some excellent questions from the audience around recruitment in the sector, and how companies can go about attracting more women into their workforce.

Samantha said, “I would just like to thank everyone who attended and helped out with organising the event.  I am delighted that the event was such a success, and stay tuned for updates on “Cyber Angels” events we have planned next year.”

Posted in Articles, Events, GGS Friends, Media Releases, News by

LAUNCH: Join The Girl Geek Scotland Network and Mentoring Community online!

The Girl Geek Scotland Network online is now LIVE 

Register for FREE today to join our Girl Geek Scotland Network and Mentoring Community Online Here

It has long been the intention of Girl Geek Scotland to bring the informal network and community to life – and today sees the launch of our online GGS Network and Community.

The online Girl Geek Scotland Network is an online version of our network of incredible contacts, event speakers, participants, and attendees – who are practitioners, peers and leaders in the industries of technology, computing, IT, digital, creative, media, business, enterprise and other related sectors.

The purpose is to provide a dedicated place for our unique network of people, encouraging and enabling them to connect and support each other outside of our live events. So the next time you attend one of our events you can follow-up with the contacts you made there on this online network. Send a friend request and keep the networking going. Or simply browse the network, groups and forums whenever you need to connect with like-minded people.

20160829-GGSnetwork02

Girl Geek Scotland welcomes and encourages contribution and participation from people of all gender identities, physical abilities, neurotypical and atypical people, religions and ethnicities. We ask everyone participating to show respect for others at all times and to abide by our Anti-Harassment Policy.

The online Girl Geek Scotland Network lets you search members, send friend requests, make activity posts, share news, send private messages, post discussion topics to forums, and more. You will see activity from what Girl Geek Scotland is up to with our News and Events as usual, and all members’ activity.

We’re very excited :-)

20160829-GGSnetwork03

Alongside the GGS Network is our online Girl Geek Scotland Mentoring Community which is specifically focused on those who have signed up for and attended our recent GGS Mentoring Community events. To join the Mentoring Community, simply sign up to Join GGS online here, complete your profile filling out the section “Specialist Areas of Work and Knowledge” thoroughly to maximise your findability – and request to join the GGS Mentoring Community Group. Once approved you can post in the group forum, communicate with other group members, and the group admins will help enable mentor-mentee connections.

20160829-GGSnetwork04

CLICK HERE TO JOIN TODAY

It will only take a few minutes to sign up and get your profile going!

 

Girl Geek Scotland

At Girl Geek Scotland our aim is to grow a community of professionals and entrepreneurs who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers in computing, creativity, and enterprise. A big part of this is ensuring that there are role models for everyone to learn from and aspire to.

Girl Geek Scotland welcomes people from all gender identities, physical abilities, neurotypical and atypical people, religions and ethnicities. We ask everyone attending to show respect for others at all times.

GGS Event Policies

Please refer to our Anti-Harassment Policy and Event Photography / Videography Policy as set out on our website. Your acceptance of which is assumed should you register to attend one of our events.

With thanks

With enormous thanks to our main partners who help us make this happen. They are:

EdinburghNapierUniversity

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

BRT working logo

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

Posted in Media Releases, News by

EVENT: Girl Geek Scotland Speaker Event: Cybersecurity – Cyber Angels

Join us for our FREE Cybersecurity speaker event, on the 22nd of September from 6 – 9pm at Codebase in Edinburgh. 

Learn more about the sector, network with some geeky people, and of course meet some role models!

We welcome newbies considering entering into this career, people currently working in Cybersecurity, and anyone who is interested in learning more about how Cybersecurity will affect us all.

As usual Girl Geek Scotland will provide plenty of time for networking, wine and nibbles.

ggs-cyber-angels-banner

Register to attend this event on Eventbrite here

Speakers

  • Alison McAlroy – Information Security Manager – Tesco Bank
  • Chelsea Sievewright – Information, Risk and Security Consultant – Prudential
  • Jamie Graves – CEO – ZoneFox
  • Laura Johnston – Associate Consultant – PWC

Agenda

6.00 – 7.00pm Registration & Networking
7.00 – 8.15pm  Presentations & Q&A
8.15 –  9.00pm Networking & Wrap up.

Refreshments

Wine/soft drinks and canapes. (Not a full dinner event)

About this event

Keen to address the lack of role models for women in Cybersecurity, Samantha Leeman from Bright Purple Resourcing, also one of our Event Managers at Girl Geek Scotland, is running this event.

The skills shortage in Cybersecurity is something that is and continues to be well documented; by 2018 there will be a global shortage of 4.2 million people who work in the sector. And according to (ISC)2’s latest study, only 6% of those working in the sector are women, a drop of 4% after the figure remained unchanged for 2 years at 10%.

There is a massive opportunity for anyone considering this career path!

Girl Geek Scotland

At Girl Geek Scotland our aim is to grow a community of professionals and entrepreneurs who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers in computing, creativity, and enterprise. A big part of this is ensuring that there are role models for everyone to learn from and aspire to.

Girl Geek Scotland welcomes people from all gender identities, physical abilities, neurotypical and atypical people, religions and ethnicities. We ask everyone attending to show respect for others at all times.

GGS Event Policies

Please refer to our Anti-Harassment Policy and Event Photography / Videography Policy as set out on our website. Your acceptance of which is assumed should you register to attend one of our events.

With thanks

With enormous thanks to our partners, sponsors and suppliers who help us make this happen. They are:

Zonefox

ZoneFox makes it simple to align your security needs with your business needs by giving you crucial visibility around data movement across your organization, exposing existing security gaps and ensuring you’re compliant.

Codebase

Codebase is the largest technology incubator in the uk and one of the fastest growing in europe.

EdinburghNapierUniversity

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

BRT working logo

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

Posted in Events, Media Releases, News by

MEDIA RELEASE: Event Announcement: “Making The Most Of Mentoring Workshop”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Belinda Love

Tel: +44(0)7850 565 819

Email: hello@girlgeekscotland.com

 

GIRL GEEK SCOTLAND

Event Announcement: “Making The Most Of Mentoring Workshop”

 

Girl Geek Scotland together with partner organisations Edinburgh Napier University and Bright Red Triangle, along with event partners ScotlandJS, Enigma People Solutions, Cathcart Associates, Spring Personnel, Inclusiq Institute, and Administrate, offer a unique workshop on making the most of a mentor, free to access in Edinburgh on Saturday 4th June 2016.

 

Our FREE Making The Most of Mentoring Workshop is suitable for people at every stage of their career in the technology sector.

So, whether you are a student seeking your first job, in a junior position, or at mid-level thinking about your next career move, this workshop will help you flourish.

There are a wide range of jobs in the technology sector, and this workshop is designed to be role agnostic. It is open to anyone who works in, or wants to work in the technology sector provided they are 18 years old or above.

This event will explore unconscious bias, and practical strategies for making the most of a mentor – whether you have one yet or not.

Thanks to the support of some of the best recruitment agencies in Scoltand, we are able to offer a matching service to put you in touch with someone in your line of work, who can help you plan for the road ahead. If you don’t yet have a mentor, come along and join our mentoring programme.

The Workshop is open to participants of any gender, and you do not need to be a member of Girl Geek Scotland to attend. This Workshop is open to anyone who would like to attend. You will be working in groups of 3-4 people.

Girl Geek Scotland, together with our parent organisations Edinburgh Napier University and Bright Red Triangle, are working with a number of high profile companies to develop the mentoring scheme further.

 

Event: Making the Most of Mentoring Workshop
Date: Saturday 4 June 2016
Time: 10:30 – 12:30 (30mins set-up time, 1.5hrs workshop)
Venue: University of Edinburgh, School of Informatics, 10 Crichton street, Room: G07 (TBC)
Cost: FREE to register
Who: Open to participants of any gender who are 18 years or over, who work in or wants to work in the technology sector

SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT ON EVENTBRITE HERE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-the-most-of-mentoring-workshop-tickets-25037020402

 

Requirements:

  • Participants must be 18 years or older
  • Laptops required – please bring your own equipment with you

 

The workshop is part of the ScotlandJS International Conference.

 

Code of Conduct:

As part of the ScotlandJS International Conference we ask all delegates to abide by the Code Of Conduct: http://scotlandjs.com/codeofconduct/. ScotlandJS is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.

 

Girl Geek Scotland:

GGS-Logo-624x184

Girl Geek Scotland (GGS) is a network for women working with Creativity, Computing and Enterprise in Scotland. GGS aims to develop a network of women, who are able to support each other at entry-level and throughout their careers, working at the intersection between these areas.

 

Partners, Sponsors & Suppliers:

ScotlandJS

ScotlandJS is the beating heart of the JavaScript community within Scotland and is now in its fifth year. Events attract both local and international speakers and attendees with a very unique, welcoming and diverse feel.

Enigma People Solutions Logo - Copy

Enigma People Solutions are a multi award winning recruitment consultancy, specialising in contract and permanent vacancies across: Digital Media, Software Development, Electronics, Technology Sales & Marketing, Technology Support, We offer a professional, flexible, and honest consultancy service to businesses across Scotland, The UK, and internationally.

CathcartAssociates

Cathcart Associates was founded by a team of the country’s most successful recruiters, with a desire to show that good recruitment consultancy should provide a service which is simple, professional and effective. Their approach demonstrates that recruiting technical talent can be simple, seamless and enjoyable, and provides a service which adds value at every stage of the recruitment process. They are an agile and independent organisation with no parent group and are able to offer a more cost-effective solution, allowing investment more freely into their database and advertising reach.

SpringPersonnel

Spring Personnel specialise in all aspects of office based and industrial recruitment. Their expertise lies in the provision of flexible staffing programmes, developed to ensure that clients receive a comprehensive staffing service. Their consultative approach is designed to ensure that each client experiences a service that is relevant to their recruitment strategy and organisation. From one-off assignments to totally managed recruitment programmes Spring Personnel has the expertise and resources to deliver a full range of recruitment services, addressing the entire recruitment cycle.

inclusiq institute

The InclusIQ Institute develops serious educational games on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership, which have been popular with clients such as the Law Society of Scotland, Equate Scotland and the University of Edinburgh Business School.

Administrate

Administrate are a dedicated team that are passionate about making lives better through software. They spend most of their day talking to, developing for, and thinking about training providers (their customers) and their students. Their software helps training companies and training departments manage their entire business. Their integrated online system includes three products that focus on making training administration easier, helping deliver outstanding e-learning, and assisting in keeping websites up-to-date.

InformaticsVentures

Informatics Ventures supports globally ambitious technology companies headquartered in Scotland. Through practitioner-led entrepreneurship education and community networking, they prepare and equip Scotland’s technology entrepreneurs to scale up internationally. Engage Invest Exploit (EIE), their flagship technology investor showcase, connects Scotland’s most exciting and innovative young companies with investors from all over the world and prepares them for the process of securing investment. There is no bigger platform for Scottish businesses than EIE.

sicsa-logo

SICSA The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) is a Scottish Funding Council Research Pool, comprising 14 of Scotland’s Universities. Our goal is to develop Scotland’s research excellence in Informatics and Computing Science (ICS) by supporting and facilitating collaboration among our members.

EdinburghNapierUniversity

Now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries, we first welcomed 800 students as Napier Technical College in 1964. However our story goes back to the time of John Napier, the brilliant sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher from whom we take our name. When you come to Edinburgh Napier University, you’ll study at one of our six specialist schools. Each of our schools is an impressive institution in its own right, with world-class facilities, academics, researchers and international links.

BRT working logo

Bright Red Triangle (BRT) offers a comprehensive set of professional/personal development activities for students and graduates in partnership with key stakeholders within and beyond Edinburgh Napier. Our focus is on improving the enterprise skills and employability of our students and graduates while instilling them with an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer business incubation services, paid consultancy experience as well as design thinking and design your future courses to our current and past students.

 

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

  1. Girl Geek Scotland is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation founded by Morna Simpson, aimed at providing a community for women and girls interested in computing, creativity and enterprise, and has been in operation for since 2009. http://www.girlgeekscotland.com
  2. GGS Parent Organisations: Edinburgh Napier University http://www.napier.ac.uk and Bright Red Triangle https://brightredtriangle.wordpress.com
  3. Event Partners: ScotlandJS http://scotlandjs.com, Enigma People Solutions http://www.enigmapeople.com,  Cathcart Associates http://www.cathcartassociates.com,  Spring Personnel http://www.springpersonnel.com, Inclusiq Institute http://inclusiq.com, Administrate http://www.getadministrate.com
  4. Venue sponsor: Informatics Ventures http://www.informatics-ventures.com
  5. Girl Geek Dinners Worldwide has around 90 established groups, is active in 32 countries, and has an estimated Membership of 37,000. http://www.girlgeekdinners.com

 

Posted in Media Releases by

MEDIA RELEASE: From our new partner Napier University: First Minister meets the Girl Geeks

EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY

February 9, 2016

First Minister meets the Girl Geeks

FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be guest of honour tonight (February 9) as an organisation for women working in the creative, computing and enterprise industries moves forward into a new era.

Girl Geek Scotland (GGS), formed in 2009, enables women to develop a career-long mutual support network through dinners, fundraisers, business breakfasts, research projects and skills workshops.

Edinburgh Napier University is taking over as parent organisation and partner, and will tonight host an event for 200 guests at its Craiglockhart campus, which will be addressed by Nicola Sturgeon, Girl Geek founder Morna Simpson, the University’s Principal, Professor Andrea Nolan, and Sally Smith, Dean of the School of Computing.

Girl Geek Scotland recognises the need to tackle skills shortages by making technology-based working environments as welcoming as possible and redressing the gender balance in a currently unequal workforce.

Speakers bring their personal life into discussions about business, with functions including a strong focus on work-life balance and women who have been successful in male-dominated environments.

Events are often themed around common challenges facing tech-based start-ups, such as finding investment and growing a product user base.

GGS dinners which have been held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen have helped build social and career networks, and provided opportunities to learn from leaders in the field. The events have helped establish the Girl Geek brand across the UK and even in America’s Silicon Valley.

In 2016, the network aims to consolidate these connections, especially with London, and to look east to develop new relationships with female leaders in the IT industries of Vietnam and India.

Although GGS is marketed towards women, it also recognises the need to include men because of the support they can offer in working towards a gender-balanced working environment.

Girl Geek founder Morna Simpson said: “We have a reputation for our high quality events, that weave together a community of inspiring women. I’m very excited to launch this ambitious programme in collaboration with like-minded partners.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “A career in digital technology and industries is something women have traditionally been less likely to pursue than their male peers. Organisations like Girl Geek Scotland not only help Scotland in its ambition to create more women entrepreneurs, but they also allow women to discover the opportunities and benefits that a career in technology can bring.

“I admire and support the work of Girl Geek Scotland to help address the gender imbalance within the sector’s workforce, which is a vital part of our own ambition and efforts to develop a world class digital economy in Scotland.”

Edinburgh Napier University currently holds an Athena SWAN bronze award, which recognises its work on gender equality and supporting women’s careers in science, technology and engineering. Individual Schools are now investigating the feasibility of applying for a silver award in the November round of applications.

Sally Smith, Dean of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, said: “Our strengthened relationship with Girl Geek will support our application for the charter. The Girl Geek events are an excellent way to reignite our passion for technology and reclaim the toys from the boys, ensuring that we retain both our female staff and our students.”

Girl Geek Scotland will also be working with Bright Red Triangle, an Edinburgh Napier-based one-stop shop for extra-curricular student enterprise activities which supports links to the community through start-ups, incubator space, consultancy services and social innovation projects.

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “The University, like the whole of the higher education sector, has a role to play in helping create a world-beating digital ecosystem for Scotland.

“Key to this is ensuring that our businesses draw talent from across the workforce. Inclusivity is one of our core values and as a University we have a great track record in supporting women’s careers, a record which will only be enhanced through our association with Girl Geek Scotland.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

For more information on this press release please contact Media & Communications Officer Jack Mathieson on 0131 455 6251

About Edinburgh Napier University:

Edinburgh Napier has around 18,000 students from more than 115 countries. It is among the best universities in the UK for graduate employability.

For more information about Girl Geek Scotland, visit:

http://www.girlgeekscotland.com/

Posted in Media Releases, News by