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Monday 21st May 2012

Wednesday 3rd November 2010 - Update from Maggie Berry, Managing Director, womenintechnology.co.uk

2010 is galloping along to its finish and there's lots going on for Women in Technology members this month. Would you like to find out more about happiness at work? Are you in the Glasgow area - could you spare a couple of hours to speak to some IT students about working in industry? Are you interested in winning a free place to study for a Cisco CCNA? Are you looking to give something back? IT Can Help, Computer Aid and Refuge would all love your support! There's all this and more in November's update below - as ever if you have any questions, please get in touch with the relevant contacts directly and if you have any questions about womenintechnology or suggestions for us, please just drop me a line - thanks so much!

  1. Happiness at Work Luncheon, Friday 5th November 2010, London

  2. Could you spare 30 minutes to speak to some students in central London (various dates in November)?

  3. 2010 National everywoman Conference, Wednesday 17th November 2010, London

  4. Tearing Up the Good Girl Script, Thursday 18th November 2010 or Thursday 20th January 2011, London

  5. Would you be free to speak at a student event in Glasgow on Thursday 25th November?

  6. everywoman Awards lunch for female entrepreneurs, Wednesday 1st December 2010, London

  7. Win a Free Place to Study Cisco CCNA with The Open University

  8. Think Aloud Methods Survey

  9. Volunteer Management Consultants Needed in Malawi and Sri Lanka for Short Term Contracts

  10. Become a volunteer for 'IT Can Help'

  11. Would you consider running for Refuge?

  12. Computer Aid International Cycle Challenge 2011 - London to Paris, May 2011

  13. Check out glooblog.com

  14. 15% off tailored clothes from Nooshin

  15. 20% discount on beauty treatments, London

  16. Job seekers - show employers that they should invest in you


1. Happiness at Work Luncheon, Friday 5th November 2010, London
* What makes you happy at work?
* When do you or your colleagues go the extra mile?
* How might personal and organisational happiness affect the bottom line?
* And what might that mean for you as a leader?

Location: Hoxton Apprentice, 16 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NT
Date & Time: Friday 5th November 2010, 12pm to 2pm
Ticket price: £15.00

More information can be found here.


2. Could you spare 30 minutes to speak to some students in central London (various dates in November)?
City University in Islington, London is currently looking for speakers for three half-hour sessions in November. The sessions run between 10.15am and 10.45am and speakers just need to give a brief introduction to their role and then handle a Q&A session with the students about their role. The session follows a lecture on a particular theme and the speakers are welcome to attend the full lecture if they would like. The dates are as follows:
  • Thursday 4th November - Business Relationship Management
  • Thursday 18th November - Managing External IT
  • Thursday 25th November - Benefits Realisation

If this is of interest to you, please contact David Chan, Director, Centre for Information Leadership, City University London, School of Informatics, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB - 020 7040 8438 or 07710 371192 or David.Chan.1@city.ac.uk


3. 2010 National everywoman Conference, Wednesday 17th November 2010, London
The 2010 National everywoman Conference, held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London on Wednesday 17th November 2010 is a must-attend for women business owners. everywoman are the UK’s largest community for women in business, with over 10 years of experience so they understand how tough it is out there and they’ve reacted by building an agenda that deals head-on with the key challenges that small business owners experience. Take a look at the full agenda here. Quote WIT and get a £25 discount on the standard ticket price!


4. Tearing Up the Good Girl Script, Thursday 18th November 2010 or Thursday 20th January 2011, London
This workshop, led by Vena Ramphal who is coach specialising in transition and transformation, will be dedicated to answering two questions:
* Where in my life am I trying to be good instead of aiming to be happy?
* What shifts need to occur for me to be happy in that area of my life?

We are brought up to be good girls. It's a script that runs so deep that, as adults, we can keep playing it out unconsciously. This structured but informal workshop will include guided exercises for you to access your embodied wisdom, as well as shared conversation over exquisite food. Vena will share some information from contemporary gender theory and the yoga/tantra traditions that she has found invaluable in helping her to shift from being good to being happy.

11.00am to 2.30pm on Thursday 18th November 2010 or Thursday 20th January 2011 - Dru Cafe, 131 Drummond Street, Euston, London, NW1 2HL.

The cost is £50 for the event and for delicious, freshly cooked organic lunch, juices and afternoon tea ‘n cake and we have negotiated a 10% discount for womenintechnology members - please quote WIT when booking.. The group will be small so it will be a very rich experience. To book, please email vena@venaramphal.com.


5. Would you be free to speak at a student event in Glasgow on Thursday 25th November?
Ilona Stevens is the president of the student organisation Interconnect at the University of Strathclyde - its aim is to develop a network across Scotland for women studying engineering, science and technology based subjects in order to build links with industry, enhance career prospects and more importantly allow female students to have a greater insight into the industries which they will become part of as they graduate. Ilona is currently arranging a "Speakers in Industry" talk on Thursday 25th November at 5.30pm in the Mechanical Engineering building at Strathclyde University. They would love to hear from women working in the IT industry in Scotland and so I wondered whether any of our network in the area might be free that evening. It's an informal event for 20-30 students and the speakers would be expected to talk for about 20 minutes about their experience of working in industry and then take questions from the floor. They're most interested in the industry experience but there will most likely be additional questions about graduate recruitment and internship opportunities too. If this might be of interest, please contact Ilona on Ilona.Stevens@strath.ac.uk or 07875 684 381.

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6. everywoman Awards lunch for female entrepreneurs, Wednesday 1st December 2010, London
If you’re looking to celebrate getting through yet another tough year with your colleagues, peers and friends, there is no better way to do this than attending the everywoman Awards - THE Awards programme for female entrepreneurs. Held on Wednesday 1st December 2010 at the beautiful Dorchester Hotel in London, this ceremony is a very high profile, yet relaxed and fun event. You’ll be networking with the main stakeholders and influencers in the field of women in business, making this lunch a fantastic way to wrap up business development with your own festive entertaining. Past winners have included successful business women, Dame Mary Perkins the founder of Specsavers; Dame Stella Rimington; Karren Brady and Elle MacPherson. Get a feel for the event and take a look at the video footage from last year. Individual tickets are £175 which includes the full awards luncheon, ceremony and post-event networking with the best female talent in the UK - quote WIT and get a £25 discount on the standard ticket price. More information can be found here.


7. Win a Free Place to Study Cisco CCNA with The Open University
The UK’s largest Cisco Academy, The Open University, is celebrating its rapidly growing suite of IT vendor certifications by offering two free places to study the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) programme starting in February 2011. Cisco Systems are world leaders in supplying networking equipment for the internet. The CCNA programme will convey the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to configure a local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) using Cisco equipment. For your chance to win a free place on Cisco Networking CCNA (T216) visit www.openuniversity.co.uk/computing before 23rd November 2010. For more information please contact Liezel Tipper, Media Relations Officer at the Open University - 01908 654573 or L.Tipper@open.ac.uk


8. Think Aloud Methods Survey
If you use the "think aloud" protocol in either your usability practice or research would you please consider completing this on-line questionnaire on its usage and potential benefits. The survey has 22 questions and takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete. The survey can be found here and it's open until the end of November. If you have any questions at all, please contact Helen Edwards - Helen.Edwards@sunderland.ac.uk


9. Volunteer Management Consultants Needed in Malawi and Sri Lanka for Short Term Contracts
Challenges Worldwide, an international development charity and award winning social enterprise, has been working since 1999 to support the growth of strong, sustainable economies across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Instead of just sending money and aid, Challenges matches the professional skills of volunteer experts to partner organisations working across sectors such as agri-business, renewable energy, fair trade, health and justice, all essential components of a strong, sustainable economy. The skills of UK consultants and business experts are in specific demand for the following Challenges Worldwide projects:
  • Capacity Building for Enterprise, a Scottish Government funded project linked with a World Bank initiative in Malawi. The project’s aim is to provide a world class consultancy service to micro, small and medium enterprises and, through a mentoring programme, sustainably build indigenous consultancy capacity and expertise in Malawi.
  • Sri Lanka Enterprise Development, taking into consideration local needs and priorities, provides consultancy services to SME’s, especially in remote rural areas, and aims to develop a sustainable programme of training and mentoring aimed at creating and expanding a pool of qualified business consultants capable of delivering a range of services tailored to the needs of Sri Lankan SMEs.

For both of these projects volunteer consultants are provided with return airfares, insurance, accommodation in-country, a contribution towards the cost of inoculations and a daily stipend. Volunteers with Challenges Worldwide gain experience in living and working abroad, enhance their skills within a different setting, improve their confidence and motivation and can enjoy a meaningful career break. What is more they will leave the country knowing they have improved the lives of others and contributed to the development of some of the world’s poorest countries. For further information or to apply for either of these positions please contact Ruth McNeil - ruth.mcneil@challengesworldwide.com or 0788 400 1032.


10. Become a volunteer for 'IT Can Help'
IT Can Help is a network of volunteers who are able to offer free local computer assistance to disabled people. They can diagnose and fix most computer related problems, install and set up hardware, software, internet, email and accessibility settings. So if you are good with computers, they need you! You don’t have to be a technical expert - familiarity as a user with computer hardware and the most commonly used software is enough to enable you to help the vast majority of their clients. What's more important is your ability to communicate and your interest in helping disabled people solve the computer problems they have. IT Can Help can provide you with support in learning about and dealing with the sort of situations you will find yourself in so even if you have had no previous experience of working with disabled people, they are still very interested in hearing from you!

To find out more about IT Can Help  and to apply to be a volunteer, please go to: www.itcanhelp.org.uk

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11. Would you consider running for Refuge?
Would you be interested in pledging your support to help Refuge raise much needed funds during its 40th birthday milestone year in 2011? With this in mind we wanted to give you the opportunity to take up one of their limited number of places in the fantastic Adidias Silverstone Half Marathon on March 6th 2011. The Half Marathon takes place at the historic Silverstone motor racing circuit, making it a truly unique event and unmissable for both running fans and motor racing fans alike. The event is organised by the team behind the world famous Virgin London Marathon, so you know you’re in good hands for a fantastic day whether you run, walk or crawl the course, they would be delighted to have you on their team! Public places for this run sell out really quickly, but Refuge does have some places for its valued supporters. They will be asking all runners who take up a Refuge place to pledge to raise £380 to support their life changing and life saving work, and they will also ask for a non-refundable £20 deposit.

Refuge also have places available in the Brighton Marathon taking place on April 10th 2011. This event is in its second year and the running course takes in the best of Brighton’s city and coastline and will finish at Brighton Pier. Runners can look forward to glorious coastal views, and hopefully a refreshing coastal breeze to spur them on. This event is already expected to become the UK’s second largest full marathon within a couple of years. They are asking runners to raise £650 and provide a non refundable £50 deposit. They also have some spaces available in the London Marathon which takes place on April 17th 2001. So if this is your ultimate challenge and you’d like to take part do please get in contact.

At Refuge, their runners are very important to them as the money they raise makes up a vital part of their fundraising activity. If you choose to run for Refuge they will do everything they can to support you every step of the way. They offer a free Refuge tshirt or professional running vest, a training plan, a full running pack containing training, nutrition and fundraising advice, a free online fundraising page and one-to-one support from their Refuge team. And if you’ve ever deliberated about taking part before this is the year to take action – it’s their 40th birthday and they hope it will be their best year yet for events and activities.

For more information, please get in touch with Jessica on 020 7395 7713 or jessica_madeley@refuge.org.uk.


12. Computer Aid International Cycle Challenge 2011 - London to Paris, May 2011
Computer Aid International tackles the causes and effects of poverty through practical ICT solutions. They work with not-for-profit organisations in developing countries to provide equipment and support where it is most needed by poor communities in areas such as agriculture, health and education. They are the world's largest and most experienced provider of high-quality, professionally refurbished PCs to developing countries and works with partners to deliver training and technical support to end-recipients.
Computer Aid Challenge Events are a fun and rewarding way for you, your friends and your colleagues to get involved in their work and this unforgettable challenge takes place from Friday 6th May to Monday 9th May 2011 and your personal involvement will help Computer Aid International to continue taking in donations of computers and laptops, refurbishing them and sending them to not-for-profit organisations in the developing world.

The cycle ride begins near London’s famous Crystal Palace and you will have time to enjoy the beautiful rolling English countryside down to the coast. The first thing you will notice on this cycling adventure is how much more you really see. Once in France, their carefully planned route takes you through the Normandy and Ille de France regions. It is ideal cycling country as the roads are quiet and well surfaced. As befits a country famous for the Tour de France, the French are a people very much geared up to the need of the cyclist. Although it is a tough physical challenge the route can be undertaken by anyone of average fitness after training. You even get to rest your weary feet after the finish line in the shadow of one of the world’s most iconic monuments the Eiffel Tower.

They're anticipating high demand for this event in 2011 so please book early to avoid disappointment - if you have always wanted to try a charity challenge this could be the one for you! Remember a journey of 300km begins with one small step….so sign up, get sponsored, get out the bike, and get cycling!

Email: moira@computeraid.org or call Moira Vincent on 020 8361 5540 for your free information pack and more information can be found online here.


13. Check out glooblog.com
Three women have launched a new tech/gadget blog called GlooBlog. This blog is designed to show content from techies and non-techies alike who want to share their approach to technology, gadgets, etc. that they use in their personal and business lives. Please have a look, learn something and maybe submit something? If you'd like to blog for them, please get in touch for further info. It’s totally free. Their only aim is to create an online community to share information that can help others.


14. 15% off tailored clothes from Nooshin
Treat yourself this season with a bespoke day or evening dress by NOOSHIN. Dresses and jackets tailored to your individual measurements, in your choice of fabric with guidance on body-shape, colours, fabric and style. For more information and to claim your 15% off, please contact nooshin@nooshin.co.uk or call 07773 009 536 and quote 'WIT'. Visiting tailor service or by appointment only from 5th Floor, 9-10 Savile Row (nearest station Piccadilly) or for more information, go to: www.nooshin.co.uk. This offer is valid until Tuesday 30th November 2010.


15. 20% discount on beauty treatments, London
This is not completely related to women in IT, but one our members is involved with a well being/beauty salon in Bond Street, London in August and she would like to offer all the other womenintechnology members a 20% discount off treatments (apart from on Mondays). To find out what they have on offer, please go to: www.108newbondstreet.com. The aim of the salon is to provide the best natural beauty treatments combined with the most exciting range of organic beauty products to create a new feeling of deep relaxation and peaceful harmony of the mind, body and soul. Call 020 7491 4919 or email info@108newbondstreet.com and quote WomenInTechnology.

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16. Job seekers - show employers that they should invest in you
19 out of 20 candidates simply fail to mention this fact in their CV. Any employer, no matter how kind and generous, is only interested in creating more value for their business. In simple terms, they have to receive more back from their investments in order to generate a profit and therefore remain in operation. The most vital investments any company can make are in their employees. Businesses live or die based on whether or not their employees can create value and provide a return on the investment. So for job seekers, it's their job to reflect this fact in their CV. An employee in which an employer "invests" £50,000 in salary, benefits and training in one year, but who returns £100,000 in measurable benefits to the company within that time, is an excellent investment. However, an employee in the same role who returns only £25,000 is not a good investment and the company will have to make a decision as to whether to remain patient or find a replacement who offers a better return on the time and money spent. Which employee are you? If you are a job seeker, your CV must consistently sell your value. Every part of the document must be well presented and convey a positive and professional approach. If you would like some advice about your CV, please click here for more details.