Women Power in IT Sector: Cisco celebrates ‘Girls in ICT' day

Cisco has recently hosted a special panel discussion to celebrate ‘Girls in ICT ‘day at Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, Vasundhra Enclave, Delhi.

An initiative of Cisco's Network Academy program, the event aimed at building a global environment to empower and encourage young women to consider careers in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Around 1000 adolescent girls and young women within Delhi and NCR interacted with panelists that consisted of ICT professional from companies, government agencies and academic institutions to better understand the opportunities the ICT sector holds for their future.

The event included discussions on smart strategies for women to thrive in technology, to overcome the barriers to a lasting career, diversity in workplace and how women are instrumental in the success of the organization. The session was well received by the young women who were motivated to be a part of the technology that is revolutionizing the world.

The sessions were interspersed with interactive games and a networking session for the participants.

Anuradha Sharma, program manager, Social Innovation Group, Cisco Systems said, "We at Cisco believe that colleges are great platforms to enable exchange of knowledge and foster women leadership across industries. Mainstreaming of diversity discussions and coaching of self- empowerment for women are some of the steps we can take in ending gender disparity. Our motive behind celebrating ‘Girls in ICT' day was to provide women the opportunity to be a part of the IT revolution and to make them realize how they are important in the talent pool. Through our Network Academy program, we invite these young girls to build skills and behaviors needed to excel in their careers and contribute to the community at large."

(TBD), Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women said, "Gone are the days when you used to find only one or two girls in the field of technology. Times have changed and today we see more and more women in engineering and technology, but is it enough? As companies strive to build an inclusive diverse workforce, it is important to remember that gender diversity is equally as important as ethnic diversity. We thank Cisco for this initiative which was a great opportunity for the young girls to meet and interact with the industry stalwarts. We look forward to more and more of these young women to join programs such as Network Academy and encourage other young girls to be a part of this big change."