With a view to women reaching the highest pinnacle, First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger today urged women and girls to develop their capacity in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields.
The First Lady was, at the time, speaking at the launching of the Girls in ICT Day 2018 Caribbean Tech Lab-Guyana.
“ICT can provide women and girls with education and job training, promote literacy, improve access to health care, enable the exercise of legal rights and participation in government,” Mrs Granger noted.
Recent statistics from the United Nations show that 90 per cent of the jobs in the near future will require these qualifications.
Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes continued her mantra that with the emergence of the local oil and gas industry, the need for an ICT proficient population is even more relevant.
“I want you to see the many possibilities that will be open to you when you continue to acquire higher skills and training in ICT,” the Minister urged the female students.
Students at today’s tech lab will benefit from teaching on topics such as Design Thinking with Google and Introduction to Website Development.
The Tech Lab is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) spearheaded by GeoTech Vision in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, Cerulean Incorporated, Sites Gy and Roraima Airways.
Initiatives under the Girls in ICT day contribute to country targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender equality and empowerment for women and girls.
