Support students

Why?

Giving a talk in a school to a group of students is a quick, flexible and rewarding way to inspire girls to become the next generation IT professionals. Whether you’re on a graduate programme or a head of department, your experiences will give girls real-life insight into what working with technology involves.

Its important to show students how IT runs through a variety of roles and companies, so whether you are a software engineer, games developer or IT project manager, you will have something to offer.

Depending on you and your team’s availability, you could either give a one-off presentation, or work with the teacher to deliver a series of talks and develop an ongoing partnership. 

The aim of a talk is to enthuse students about technology and to break down some of the stereotypes about women working in the profession. It is important to help them make the connection between their own personal technology that they know and love, and what it means to work with technology. 

30 minutes of your time can help young people understand that IT is more than just spreadsheets, give it some real-world context, and inspire them. 

How?

Basic requirements for giving a talk include:

• Time to prepare your presentation before the day
• Up to an hour of your time to deliver a talk in a school

You could talk about:

• What role IT plays in your organisation
• What your favourite thing about technology is
• Why you decided to go into IT
• What you do on a day-to-day basis
• What skills or qualifications you need to do your job
• How much you can earn in IT
• What other jobs IT can lead to
• Why the stereotypes about working in IT aren’t true

Through our experience of working with schools and industry, e-skills UK has developed a series of guides to help IT professionals deliver effective talks in the classroom. We've created a guide with tips for giving a talk to teenagers, a sample presentation connected to our BigAmbition careers website for teenagers, and template feedback forms to capture how the students felt.

We are also bringing together best practice and presentations that other companies have developed and been delivering in classrooms, and sharing this with volunteers. If you're interested in giving a talk in a school, download the resources below, and read about the IT Ambassadors scheme (Word 1MB) which provides training and matches you with a local school.

Download these helpful documents

BigAmbition careers presentation Zip file 12MB - containing PowerPoint presentation and accompanying video

BigAmbition presentation accompanying notes PDF 157KB

Tips on giving a talk to students PDF 124KB

Student feedback form for a careers talk  PDF 80KB

Register to become an IT Ambassador via STEMNET. 
Select ‘IT Ambassadors’ when asked ‘Are you registering as part of a partner role model scheme?’. You will be contacted by your local STEM Ambassadors centre who will arrange an induction and match you up local schools who would like you to give a talk to their pupils.

Make sure you share any feedback with us so we can celebrate the successes of the campaign - share your story here.

Why?

Events held at a company’s premises can provide young people with new knowledge, skills and experience. Days out from the classroom can help students understand how IT functions within business, and what working environments are like. They provide the opportunity to interact first-hand with role models of all ages and experience levels.

They are also a great chance for your employees to develop communication and team work skills, and give something back to the local community.
e-skills UK has organised over 40 student events with employers such as Sony, lastminute.com and Accenture. Events have ranged in size from individual class visits to activity days for several local schools.

We've organised a number of days exclusively for girls, including the launch of the BigAmbition website at Microsoft for over 200 girls. Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive; on average 80% of attendees said the events made them more likely to consider a career in IT. 

How?

The basic requirements for hosting an event are:

• A space within your premises to accommodate a group of students
• Approximately half a dozen employees to volunteer their time on the day
• A main point of contact to coordinate the event from your company’s end
• Lunch to be provided for students and teachers

Through our experience of working with schools and industry, e-skills UK has developed a series of guides to help employers organize events for students at their premises. See below to download a template agenda, suggested workshop activities and tips for presenting to students. We also have case studies about companies that have hosted student events with us in the past. 

Resources to download

Event briefing for employers Word 1MB

Film and photography permission form PDF 99KB

Student feedback form for an event PDF 82KB

Previous events

In support of the Girls in IT campaign, in October 2010 Infosys invited 25 girls from London into their Canary Wharf HQ. The girls, aged between 15 and 17, took part in a videoconference with female IT graduates in India, competed in a programming challenge, and heard from employees about what it’s like to work at Infosys and what the company does.

In December 2010, 40 girls from Windsor visited Centrica to hear from women who work in IT talk about their jobs and what IT means for business, as well as take part in a group challenge to design the ‘next big thing in technology’.