ESET are on the road to empowering young women to consider careers in IT and AFC Bournemouth were delighted to welcome ESET to Vitality Stadium for a special ‘Girls can do IT’ masterclass.
The under-14 and under-16 girls were treated to an educational session on the pathways and career opportunities in IT for women.
The two teams heard from Hannah and Lucy from C3IA, who were able to offer specialist expertise.
The title of their talk was ‘Unlocking Your Future: Navigate Paths to a Tech-Savvy Career’ with the general aim to empower girls to use their pre-existing knowledge to kick-start their career.
They spoke further about the types of interesting careers they see on a day-to-day basis and why a career in IT is important in today’s world.
A panel of Bournemouth University students also spoke on why they are going down an IT route, relaying their journeys and paths of education.
As a special treat, Kenni Thompson, Holly Humphreys and Daniela Kosinska from the women’s team were on hand to show their support, plus partake in a question-and-answer session with the girls.
Before the day was out, the workshop also consisted of a fun quiz at the end, which the youngsters took part in and received prizes for their efforts.
AFC Bournemouth’s Head of Community, Steve Cuss, was on hand to host the event with ESET and shared his delight at its success afterwards:
“It was great to welcome the under-14 and under-16 girls to Vitality Stadium for this special event with ESET in half term. The players learned so much about what a potential career in IT could entail.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to those from ESET who came in and put on such a fantastic event for our teams.”
Similarly, Lina Radwanski, Brand & Partnerships Manager at ESET, also commented:
“There are so many similarities between women’s football and women in technology. Whether it's demonstrating the values of teamwork and resilience or breaking down barriers and fostering a culture of inclusivity – these are all key drivers for future success both on and off the pitch.
“The session really highlighted the range of exciting job opportunities in tech, the importance of having the right skills, the right attitude, and the different career routes available.
“The speakers from C3IA and Bournemouth University did a fantastic job in sharing their passion for the industry and breaking down the misconceptions that may hold girls back from a career in tech.
“We hope the girls left the session feeling empowered and inspired to consider a potential future in IT that they may have not thought about before.”
AFC Bournemouth would like to extend its thanks to ESET for the opportunity to provide such an educational session to the young girls.