Ericsson Kenya finally joined the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) efforts in celebrating Girls in ICT Day on Friday, by inviting and hosting 20 high school students at their headquarters.
The day is usually celebrated on the fourth Thursday of April, but Ericsson chose to wait a month in order to fit with the Kenyan school calendar.
The students, drawn from Alliance Girls, Pumwani Secondary, Starehe Girls, Embakasi and Huruma Girls, were invited to the company’s premises for an open day where they got encouragement from Ericsson staff to join the field of ICT.
Margaret Mutisya, Ericsson human resources manager, said: “As part of the initiative, nearly 90 countries organised events empowering more than 30,000 girls worldwide in 2012. The Ericsson’s Kenya “Girls in ICT day” marked on May 31, 2013 is therefore part of a global initiative but with local execution.”
During the session invited students, who are top performers in their respective schools, were treated to motivational talks and paired up with staff members who would demonstrate the operations of the telecommunications company.
Mutisya added: “This is our first Girls in ICT Day event and we’re committed to track the academic progress of the girls to monitor how those who’re pursuing careers in ICT are performing, with a view to incorporating them in Ericsson’s management trainee programmes.”
The “Girls in ICT Day” – which has been marked since 2010 – is an annual event meant to celebrate women’s achievements in the field of technology and promote tech opportunities to young girls worldwide.
