Blog: Motivating the next generation: a day in tech for young minds

Introduction

We recently held an event called Get into Tech as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) effort, inviting students aged 16 and 17 to participate in an intensive day of learning and exploration in the field of information technology.

Our motto behind ‘Get into Tech’ is to encourage young people, particularly young women, to think about careers in technology by highlighting our dedication to creating a diverse future workforce. Although technology continues to influence the world, women are still underrepresented in this profession. Diversity in the workforce fosters strength, creativity and innovation in addition to being a value. The gender gap in STEM can be reduced by supporting young women's career choices in IT and providing them with opportunities to interact with professionals in the field.

To dispel preconceptions and motivate the upcoming generation of tech leaders, events such as Get into Tech provide young women the opportunity to envision themselves in these positions. Through this event we tried to give these young students practical experience by exposing them to the day-to-day workings, culture and difficulties of a technology company. Our company's principles of commitment, teamwork, a can-do attitude and a desire to strive for quality in all that we do were embodied throughout this event.

Contextualising: building connections from the start

The day kicked off with a welcoming breakfast and introductions. The casual start created a comfortable environment allowing students to interact with staff members and get to know one another before starting with the agenda. Creating a relationship early on made the students feel more at ease and receptive, which set the stage for an engaging and successful learning day.

The beginning: understanding Infomentum and its core values

We gave the pupils an overview of our company's background, goals, and core principles. We stressed the value of Commitment in providing excellence, Collaboration in accomplishing common objectives, a Can-do Attitude in overcoming obstacles and our unwavering determination to Strive for Quality. This was an excellent way for students who were aspiring to pursue the field to learn about the values that support a successful workplace and help people succeed in the technology sector.

Hands-on learning: from project life cycle to cyber security

The morning continued with an impressive session on the project life cycle, giving students insight into the typical journey of a project from conception to completion. To make these ideas a reality, students were asked to build their own application and follow the steps involved.

This was followed by an interactive team-building activity called Team Pen, which was an enjoyable, practical exercise that assessed participants' ability to collaborate, communicate and solve problems. Students were energised and laughed during the activity, which demonstrated the value of teamwork in overcoming challenges and accomplishing common goals.

The pupils returned for a session on cybersecurity awareness, a crucial subject in today's digital world, following a pizza break. Students gained knowledge about the fundamentals of cybersecurity and the significance of data protection and online safety from the session, which is beneficial for both their personal and professional lives.

Finally, a series of leadership activities that aimed to stimulate initiative, confidence and creative thinking rounded out the day.

These exercises not only maintained student interest but also emphasised how crucial leadership abilities are in the tech sector.

Reflecting on success and growth: retrospective

We wrapped up the day with a retrospective session, where students were invited to share their thoughts on what they liked and what can be improved. Students expressed great satisfaction with the engaging exercises, the chance to network with business leaders, and the cybersecurity insights. Additionally, they offered ideas for future events, such as asking for more hands-on workshops and what educational path they can follow to achieve a career in IT. We were able to gain useful insights from this feedback that will help us make future sessions even more effective going forward.

Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned

Difficulties with planning and logistics:

It took a team to organise an event this size, involving meticulous preparation, organisation and adaptability. It took careful logistical planning to make sure that everyone - students, and staff - had a positive experience, from setting up the schedule to arranging breakout sessions and activities.

Presentation and engagement issues:

We discovered that a mix of informative and interactive lessons is necessary to maintain students' interest. High school students found it easy to understand technical subjects as they are already studying them in their curriculum, but the team's efforts to make each session interactive and interesting made it challenging. While cybersecurity training and Team Pen activities kept students' attention, leadership exercises gave them a meaningful method to relate theory to practice.

Continuous enhancements:

Future editions of Get into Tech will be greatly influenced by the retrospective's feedback. Major feedback involved including guidance on what educational path to focus on to establish a career in various roles in IT both Technical and Non-Technical. In order to make future events even more interesting and worthwhile, we are dedicated to improving the experience based on feedback from the students and to add even more interactive, hands-on components.

Conclusion: motivating tech leaders of the future

Overall, Get into Tech was a fruitful experience for our staff and the students. We are committed to encourage the new generation to pursue careers in IT by providing these young people with an introduction to the world of technology and assisting them in imagining a day when they will be able to contribute significantly.

Promoting diversity, inspiring young women, and building a more robust and inclusive tech sector all depend on initiatives like this one. We're eager to assist and encourage the advancement of technology going forward and are thrilled to see where these youngsters end up.