AS GUYANA celebrated ‘International Girls in ICT Day’,  with the rest of the world, the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) yesterday held a luncheon at the Umana Yana that saw young ladies from several education institution getting personalised mentorship from women already working in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field.

The over two hour long event was also graced with the presence of Minister of Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, who spoke encouraging words to the young ladies and others present, urging them to become more involved in the ICT field.

In Guyana, like in the rest of the world, females are largely underrepresented in ICT, and so for the past five years the NFMU has been trying to bridge that gap by hosting several activities all across the country. However, this is the second year that the luncheon is being held.

“The idea of the lunch is that as they [the students] eat; they will talk about their experiences, what challenges they’re facing and have the mentors give them some insight, and talk of how to cope with the challenges,” explained NFMU Spectrum Engineer, Mellisa Layne.

“We know there’s a gap between men and women in the ICT field and we want to bridge that by encouraging more girls to be in the field. We also recognise that a lot of women who start working in the field, leave the field, and that’s what this mentorship luncheon is all about.”

The luncheon was attended by students from several secondary schools and tertiary institutions, including students from St Stanislaus College, St Rose’s High, St Joseph, Bishops, Government Technical Institute, University of Guyana and even a group from the Guyana Blind Society.

Those among the mentors included several female engineers from the e-Government Unit, Computer Science lecturers from the University of Guyana, representatives from Starr Computers, and IT teachers from a few secondary schools.

Layne asserted that over the years the NFMU initiatives has been bearing fruit. At yesterday’s luncheon one young lady noted that she might even be inspired to look into a change of career.

“I’m in the science stream because I actually wanted to be a pediatrician, but this luncheon actually makes me want to rethink on my career choice, and doing something more in the IT direction,” said St Stanislaus College fourth former, Phillicia James.

“I also learned that IT isn’t just software, it’s a broader spectrum.” She added.

Nineteen year old GTI student, Nikesha Crandon, is particularly encouraged by Minister Hughes address.
“It was very inspiring to see a woman with that high level supporting women in ICT. When I see her up there, I just don’t see her as a woman, I see her as a role model, she encourages me to do what I do best,” Crandon said. Crandon is currently studying for a certificate in Computer Science (Data Operations) at GTI.