February 2010 Update

Thursday 4th February 2010 - Update from Maggie Berry, Managing Director, womenintechnology.co.uk

Welcome to our first update of 2010. It's been a busy 2010 so far and we hosted out first networking event of the year last week - Women of Substance: Inspiring Women in STEM that we held with EPWN-London and WES at the Ri. We've run a couple of evening training courses and have a packed schedule booked in for the rest of the year, more information can be found here. And below is a whole mix of things - competitions, coaching offers, events, discounted tickets for womenintechnology members as well as a couple of surveys. We hope this will be of interest to you - click on the links for more information - thanks so much!

Win a FREE IT Training course worth £2,950! Competition open until Monday 15th February 2010
Pilot coaching service and technical training grants from the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology
Chix&Mortar training weekends - 10% discount for womenintechnology members
Leadership in Turbulent Times on Thursday 25th February 2010 - 20% discount to womenintechnology members
Working Families Spring Conference - Working Parents: Engaging and Developing Mothers and Fathers, Thursday 4th March 2010 - discounted tickets for womenintechnology members
Is this your year to excel? Accelerated Development Programme at Chicago Booth University
Cambridge AWiSE Career Development Conference, Friday 18th June 2010 - 10% discount for womenintechnology members
Extreme New Game Show Needs You!!
Free Whitepaper - The Legal Risks of Email and Web Use
Free Subscriptions to Technology Magazines
Would you like to be an IT role model?
Would you be interested in supporting the Northern Ireland Book Project?
Career Break Survey for academics in SET
Short Ladies – Your Opinion is Wanted!

1. Win a FREE IT Training course worth £2,950! Competition open until Monday 15th February 2010
As part of our strategic aim of increasing the number of women working and achieving in the IT profession, we have teamed up with the National IT Learning Centre to run a competition where the prize is a free IT training course worth £2,950!
To be in with your chance to win a free IT Training Course worth £2,950 - either CIW Master Designer Course, IT Technician Course or CCNA Course - from the National IT Learning Centre, all you need to do is explain, in no more than 100 words, why you would like to win the free IT training course - it's as simple as that!
More information and the link to enter can be found here: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/free-it-training-competition
The competition is open until Monday 15th February 2010. Please help us to spread the word and good luck!!

2. Pilot coaching service and technical training grants from the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology
The UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology are piloting a new coaching service where women working in SE England and Scotland can get one-on-one coaching support at half price. They're hoping to roll the scheme out across the UK in due course but have chosen two pilot areas to test the scheme out between now and the end of March 2010. More details can be found here for the SE England and here for Scotland.
They are also currently offering technical training grants of up to £500 to women to help meet the cost of accessing higher level training. Recent successful applicants have used the grants to pay towards a variety of computer programming and technology courses including Masters in Computer Science and CAD studies.
For more information and to find out if you are eligible for either scheme, please contact info@ukrc4setwomen.org, visit http://www.ukrc4setwomen.org/ or call 01274 436485.

3. Chix&Mortar training weekends - 10% discount for womenintechnology members
Learn DIY in just one weekend with TV’s Craig Phillips and his team. For just £199, on a Chix&Mortar course you will learn all the basic DIY skills and tricks of the trade to do your own household DIY and decorating. From tiling to painting to laying floors to hanging pictures to unblocking sinks and fixing dripping taps…. The next two courses are being held at Richmond Adult College. Quote ‘Women in Technology’ to receive your discount.
Learn DIY in one weekend - 6th/7th February: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/training/chix-and-mortar-learn-diy-in-just-one-weekend-training-01313104131
Valentine weekend for couples - 13th/14th February: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/training/chix-and-mortar-valentine-weekend-for-couples-training-01313105653

4. Leadership in Turbulent Times, London on Thursday 25th February 2010 - 20% discount to womenintechnology members
**20% discount to our members so the tickets will be £300 instead of £375** Quote womenintechnology when booking includes breakfast, lunch and a copy of the book 'What do leaders really do?
De-motivated team? Individuals unclear about what is expected? Lack of direction? Poor Communication? Grappling with change?
In this highly interactive workshop Jeff Grout will examine various aspects of effective leadership including:
The leadership demands in turbulent times, Setting Clear Goals & Objectives, Leading Effective Change, Creating a Motivating Environment, Coaching for Performance and Effective Communication
More information can be found here: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/training/leadership-in-turbulent-times-training-02626111120

5. Working Families Spring Conference - Working Parents: Engaging and Developing Mothers and Fathers, Thursday 4th March 2010
This conference will examine mothers and fathers in the workplace; their engagement, their productivity, their relationship with their managers and colleagues and their career progression. It will enable employers to devise strategies for ensuring that the talent of working parents is harnessed in a win-win situation for both employee and employer.
womenintechnology members can take advantage of the special rate of £325 + VAT (usually £399 + VAT). When booking, delegates should quote the reference “WIT Member – special rate”.
More information can be found here: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/events/working-families-spring-conference-events-02727122272

6. Is this your year to excel? Accelerated Development Programme at Chicago Booth University
Have you made a 2010 resolution to enhance your academic education? Have you realised you need additional tools in your armoury to make that all important career leap? If so, then you need to book onto the Accelerated Development Programme at Chicago Booth University.
Located in the heart of the City of London, this faculty, with its top professors and diverse array of students, is the creme de la creme for executive learning. The University and programme is personally recommended by Vanessa Vallely, founder of wearethecity, who has just completed the ADP programme: "The professors at Chicago Booth and the faculty itself is one of the best learning environments in the City. The modules covered are similar to that of an MBA making this a must-have on the CV of any aspiring manager. With just a two to three day commitment over a six month period, the ADP is an ideal way of developing your skills alongside the pressures of your day job and I could not recommend the programme or the University highly enough. Thanks to the course my confidence has improved ten fold. I now have a deeper understanding of the foundations and complexities of the business world and this has already reaped rewards in terms of a recent promotion".
There is a special offer on price for the February to July programme: contact elisa.nieto@chicagobooth.edu and quote 'womenintechnology' as a reference.
For more information on the programme visit www.adp.chicagoexec.net or contact Elisa.

7. Cambridge AWiSE Career Development Conference, Friday 18th June 2010
The day will provide inspirational speakers from the world of science and technology and give you an intensive burst of training to take your career to the next level. They are proud to have assembled experts from a range of career development fields.
The morning will feature Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris, author of “Beyond the Boys’ Club” who will talk about the key strategies for success used by the women she works with to help them “move beyond the boys club.” There will then be a panel session with successful women scientists and technologists who will share what went well and what they had to learn along the way, in building their careers. After lunch, there will be have a value packed afternoon featuring experts in confidence, workplace politics, body language and image and dress – all who can help you succeed. The afternoon will finish with a champagne networking session with colleagues and new friends.
Can you afford to miss this high-value intensive training day dedicated to women in STEM fields? All profits from the day will go towards helping Cambridge AWiSE continue to operate and offer support to local women working in these fields.
The normal ticket price is £247 but we have been given a 10% discount so it's only £222 for womenintechnology members! Book now by emailing info@camawise.org.uk as places are limited.
More information can be found here: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/events/cambridge-awise-career-development-conference-events-02727114931

8. Extreme New Game Show Needs You!!
The producers behind the popular Saturday night show Total Wipeout have created an exciting new game show to be filmed overseas in 2010. They've had lots of applications from male contestants so they are currently looking for some feisty, fun ladies to take part too as they are really keen to ensure that women are equally represented.
This new game show is not your conventional TV show and it is guaranteed to be like nothing viewers have seen before combining brain teasing trivia with pure adrenaline action. This won't be your regular game show.
There's £10,000 prize money up for grabs!
Auditions are running throughout February so they would ask you to apply asap if you are interested. Filming is taking place during April 2010 and all expenses will be paid for.
To find out more, please go to: www.womenintechnology.co.uk/events/extreme-new-game-show-needs-you--events-01919155459

9. Free Whitepaper - The Legal Risks of Email and Web Use
Indecent images on email? Offensive or distasteful websites? The rise of social networking and blogging?
These are some of the challenges facing IT mangers today but what action should your organisation take to ensure safe internet and email use by employees? MessageLabs and legal experts Shoosmiths combine to bring you this guide to the legal risks of uncontrolled email and internet use in the workplace. The whitepaper looks into key areas of risk such as blogging, social networking sites, harassment, obscenity, defamation, formation of contracts, copyright infringement and confidentiality. For more information and to download your free copy, please go to:www.womenintechnology.co.uk/The-Legal-Risks-of-Email-and-Web-Use

10. Free Subscriptions to Technology Magazines
In partnership with TradePub.com, womenintechnology.co.uk would like to offer you the opportunity to subscribe to leading industry leading publications for FREE. There are no hidden or trial offers, no hidden costs and no purchase is necessary. Publications are absolutely free to those who qualify. Browse through the extensive list of free information technology magazines, white papers, downloads and podcasts to find the titles that best match your skills; topics include technology, IT management, business technology and e-business. All you have to do is complete the application form and submit it online. Subscribing is easy and fast and we hope you take advantage of this special offer - you can sign up for as many as you like.
Go to www.womenintechnology.co.uk/free-it-magazine-subscriptions to view available titles.

11. Would you like to be an IT role model?
We have super selection of females working in IT on our role models page (www.womenintechnology.co.uk/role-models) and are currently looking for more ladies who would be happy to be featured. We want to make more female IT students and graduates aware of the possibilities available to them in an IT career and our role models page features women who work in IT with information about their career path and how they progressed to the position they are in today.
We ideally like to get a bit of a story about your career so far as well as any inspirational anecdotes or advice you have for someone just starting out in their career. If you're happy, we say who you are and what you do and include a picture of you - possibly at work but if you'd like to stay anonymous that's totally fine. If you'd like to get involved please contact Sarah Lilley so we can send you the details and please feel free to pass this on to anyone else who you think could be a role model for female graduates thinking of getting into IT!

12. Would you be interested in supporting the Northern Ireland Book Project?
The Northern Ireland Book Project is run by WITS, Women in Technology and Science, a Dublin-based voluntary body that support women in working SET across Ireland, www.witsireland.com .
This project has been running for some years involves publishing biographies of notable Irish female scientists, engineers, technologists. About 10 years ago a book was published by WITS called 'Stars, Shells and Bluebells' and in 2009 a companion volume was published called 'Lab Coats and Lace'. Both books contain biographies of amazing women such as the aviator Lilian Bland, the pioneering photographer the Countess of Rosse, the astronomers from Ulster Alice Everett and Annie Maunder and many others. These books were sponsored by the Department of Education and Science in Dublin, who paid for a copy of the books to be sent to every secondary level school across the Republic of Ireland, to be available as a resource to provide role models of pioneering Irish women scientists and engineers for anyone considering these types of careers.
WITS would now like to get a copy of 'Lab Coats and Lace', http://tiny.cc/PeqPw into every school across Northern Ireland. The project will cost £4,000 and they are looking for funding from several sources. This is a great way to push the message out to schools that science and engineering is an interesting career where able women have historically achieved great things and where there are currently good career opportunities.
If this might be of interest to you or your organisation, please contact Christian Field - christian.field@talktalk.net.

13. Career Break Survey for academics in SET
Are you a woman in science or engineering who has taken a career break from an academic position?
In an effort to understand the pipeline of women professors in science and engineering the George Washington University are conducting a survey of women on career breaks, whether voluntary or not. They are interested in women who have completed their PhD or DSc, have been employed in an academic setting and were, or have been, on a career break for less than five years. They are seeking to interview such women to help them determine better ways for individuals who have been in career breaks to be reintegrated into the academic pipeline. Although this is an American study, they are happy to hear from academics in the UK. If you are someone who fits this profile or know of someone who does, please contact Dean Rachelle Heller at sheller@gwu.edu to set up an interview.

14. Short Ladies – Your Opinion is Wanted!
One of our members, Hayley Chalmers, is starting a web-based fashion business after 20 years of working in the motor trade, engineering and IT.
f you're 5’4” and under, she'd love your opinion... Hayley is 5’1” and is fed up with clothes not fitting properly, so she's solving the problem by creating Short Couture, The Place for Petites - www.shortcouture.com
This clothing will be aimed at short ladies aged 30+ and she wants to hear about your experiences when shopping for petite clothing and any related rant that you may want to add. This is invaluable market research and will help to create and sell what you want.
Click here http://bit.ly/b9uFO to take her survey - it’s only 20 questions (mostly tick box stuff) and takes about four minutes. If you know someone else that is 5’4” or under, please ask them to complete the survey too.
If you'd like to find out more, please contact hayley@shortcouture.com or follow Hayley on twitter.com/shortcouture

Best wishes from the womenintechnology team
info@womenin.co.uk