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Thursday 13th October 2011 - Update from Maggie Berry, Managing Director, Women in TechnologyAs we settle well and truly into the Autumn season and think about (dare I say it) Christmas, there are a whole host of events and activities to keep you busy, many of which are discounted for Women in Technology network members. In conjunction with J.P. Morgan, we are hosting an event in Glasgow next week Thursday 'Insight into Innovation in the Workplace'. There are still some places available for this free event, so please feel free to forward details to your contacts in the Glasgow area. This month also sees Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris facilitating a one day workshop 'Moving Beyond the Boys' Club' - a topic which engaged many of our Twitter followers recently, talking about their own experiences working and progressing in male dominated teams. This month we are also running a competition to win Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris' new book "Female Breadwinners - the Future of the Modern Workforce". Andy Lopata has a new book "Recommended - How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals" which you can also win this month.
There are a number of surveys which should you fit the criteria would be great for you to spare a few minutes to complete them. The topics include combining parenting with working, women who have left the corporate world to start up their own business and women leaders in higher education.
Also if you haven't done so already, follow us on Twitter, Linkedin and on Facebook for up-to-the minute details on courses, events and industry news. If you have any questions about Women in Technology or would like to make a submission for the next newsletter, please don't hesitate to contact Maggie Berry - thanks so much!1. IP Expo - free event - on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th October 2011, London2. 2012 Trends - Cloud Computing and Agile Development, 6pm on Thursday 20th October 2011, London3. 'Insight into Innovation in the Workplace' 6pm on Thursday 20th October 2011, Glasgow4. 'Moving Beyond the Boys' Club' - a one day training workshop on Friday 21st October 2011, London5. Womensphere Pan-European Summit at Oxford: Creating the Future on Friday 21st October 2011, Oxford6. Don't miss out on the 2011 PRECIOUS Awards on Thursday 27th October 2011, London7. City Career Boot Camp on Saturday 29th October 2011, London8. Mentoring and Leadership, 7pm on Monday 31st October 2011, Bristol9. Winning Women in IT - Could you be next? 6pm on Tuesday 1st November 2011, London10. The Women in Business Superconference on Friday 11th November 2011, London 11. 2011 everywoman of Influence Dinner, in partnership with eBay at 6.30pm on Thursday 24th November 2011, London12. The Aspire Leadership for the Future Conference, ‘Life, Work, World’ on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th November 2011, London13. Call for nominations for the 2012 everywoman in Technology Awards - closing date Friday 25th November 201114. Platform 51 Trustee opportunity (formally YWCA) - closing date Wednesday 19th October 201115. Could you be a trustee for the charity Information Technology for Children's Hospitals?16. Give A Bit Back - could you get involved?17. New book "Female Breadwinners - the Future of the Modern Workforce": two free signed copies available!18. New book "Recommended - How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals" - signed copy available!19. Special Issue of the International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology20. GNOME Outreach Program for Women internships - apply by 31st October 201121. The 2012 Saltire Fellowship Application Process is Open!22. Survey: "Corporate Crossovers"23. Survey: Female Friendly Room Service, have your say24. Survey: How do parents combine parenting with working?25. Survey: STEM Survey 2011 - to be completed by 31st October 201126. Survey: Women Leaders in Higher Education Study27. e-petition: Teach our kids to code1. IP Expo - free event - on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th October 2011, LondonIP EXPO, the UK's largest and fastest growing IT infrastructure event, has come a long way since its launch in 2006. Now, six leading events in one; IP EXPO is the UK’s only end-to-end IT infrastructure event, providing a complete view of the latest technologies and how they work together. CIOs, IT directors, heads of IT and IT managers attend IP EXPO to network, learn and keep up-to-date through the free seminar programme of over 240 sessions covering IP Networks, Virtualization, Wireless, Storage, Cloud Computing and Security. Highlights include: over 240 FREE seminar sessions, partner zones from VMware, Microsoft, Citrix and Cisco, 250 Exhibiting Companies, hands-on lab sessions, datacentre showcase and HP Experience. Seen as an opportunity to do three months research in just two days, visitors can hear from visionary keynote speakers, talk to the key players in the market and get technical in the VLabs and CloudLabs. This year’s sponsors include: Aruba Networks, Brocade Communications, Cisco Systems, Citrix Systems, Dell Compellent, EMC, Fusion-io, Hitachi Data Systems, Hewlett Packard, Huawei, Microsoft, NEC, Oracle, Quest Software, ShoreTel, Symantec, Veeam, VMware and Vodafone. Click here to register for your FREE place now.2. 2012 Trends - Cloud Computing and Agile Development, 6pm on Thursday 20th October 2011, LondonThe City Women's IT Network (CWIN) and VMware would like to invite you to a networking event on Thursday 20th October 2011. We as technologists have to keep our fingers on the pulse of the latest technology trends to ensure survival in our industry. CWIN have partnered with VMware to host this event with technical talks on Cloud Computing and Agile Development: 6pm – Registration; 6.20 pm – Welcome and introduction; 6.30 pm – Cloud Computing; 7.00 pm – Agile Development; 7.30 pm – Networking activities (refreshments will be provided); 9 pm – Event end. Speaker: Bethan Brown, VMware - Bethan has over 15 years experience in architecting, implementing and teaching software development and application lifecycle management across multiple domains. Beth is currently a Consulting Architect in VMware's vFabric division, assisting customers in their transition to a cloud-ready framework. Prior to joining VMware she was the Pre-Sales Manager for Southern Europe at Microfocus and lead the Technical Services Division for Northern Europe at Borland where she successfully implemented ALM, SOA and Agile transformational change programmes across large scale enterprises. Venue: City Pipe (Davy’s), 31-33 Foster Lane, Off Cheapside, E2CV 6HD. Please register online here
3. 'Insight into Innovation in the Workplace' 6pm on Thursday 20th October 2011, GlasgowWe're excited to be hosting our second evening networking event in Scotland this time round with J.P. Morgan. This event is free and sees James Gardner from Spigit as the keynote speaker. His talk will cover a range of topics including the story of innovation in Lloyds TSB, the blockers, tricks and dealing with innovation 'antibodies', the story of innovation in the UK government and key top tips and hints that may help you and your innovation experience.If you have any contacts in the Glasgow area who you think might be interested in coming along, please do pass these details onto them as we're keen to engage with women working in IT (and related industries) who might not already be part of our network and who would benefit from this event. To reserve your place click here4. 'Moving Beyond the Boys' Club' - a one day training workshop on Friday 21st October 2011, LondonIn this workshop, Beyond the Boys’ Club author and executive coach, Dr. Suzanne Doyle-Morris will take a interactive approach to look at how career progression, especially in male dominated fields, is a blend of aptitude and attitude, manoeuvrability, understanding office politics, coupled with self awareness and confidence. Taking place at the Women in Technology Offices in London, this one day workshop costs £215 + VAT (£258).The price includes a copy of Suzanne's book 'Beyond the Boys' Club'. Click here for further information and to book.5. Womensphere Pan-European Summit at Oxford: Creating the Future on Friday 21st October 2011, OxfordLeadership. Innovation. Ventures. Economics. Sustainability. Join the Womensphere Pan-European summit at the Said Business School convening leaders, entrepreneurs, artists and social innovators across business, finance, media, science, technology, healthcare and public policy. Designed to provide points of access for women to take the lead in ‘Creating the Future,’ the summit features more than 40 distinguished speakers including Oxford alumni - CEOs, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, NGO leaders and philanthropists - in master classes, focused panel presentations and forums to explore best practices and opportunities for collaboration on key global issues. The summit also offers rich networking opportunities among women leaders and venture owners in Europe.For more information, please click here . Places cost £595 and Women in Technology is pleased to be able to offer a limited number of 30% scholarship discounts available on a first come, first served basis - making the ticket price £416.50. Please click here and use the discount code ‘TECH' to get your ticket.6. Don't miss out on the 2011 PRECIOUS Awards on Thursday 27th October 2011, LondonThe PRECIOUS Awards are based on one inspiring idea; to showcase and shine a light on the entrepreneurial and leadership achievements of Black and Asian women in the UK. Since launching in 2007 they are proud that so many of their winners and finalists have gone on to achieve great things in business and within the workplace. Natasha and Semhal from La Diosa (our Entrepreneurs of the year 2008) can now count Michelle Obama and the Duchess of Cambridge amongst those who have worn their jewellery. Jessica Elliot, (PRECIOUS Entrepreneur of the year 2009) has seen her business expand beyond all measure with the opening of the third branch of her dance school and Ohene Ohene’s Brixton based shop has become the place to go to get the coolest fashion. So don't miss out - book your place at the PRECIOUS Awards event on the 27th October at the St Pancras Renaissance. They are celebrating success afternoon tea style! Tickets to the awards are £55 and can be bought here. More information can be found here
7. City Career Boot Camp on Saturday 29th October 2011, LondonCity Career Boot Camp is a focused one day seminar. It will cover, in an accelerated format, key skills and attitudes to maximise your chances of success in a highly competitive market. The day will be confidential, focused. City Career Boot Camp is aimed at City professionals who are planning a career move, working towards a promotion or actively looking for a new role. City Career Boot Camp Agenda: Identify and articulate your career trajectory; Unearthing the unexpected opportunity; The bull’s eye CV; Building and working your network with your peer group and key stakeholders; Getting ready for the that critical interview and meeting where a consistent image is your secret weapon; How to master tough interviews – returning the curved ball. When: Saturday 29th October 2011 from 09 30 - 1700. Where: Berkeley Square House Berkeley Square, London W1J 6BD. This seminar is being run by Sarah Dudney who has 11 years experience of search in the City of London working with asset management houses, private banks and family offices. Over the past six years Sarah has written on career management, recruitment and related issues in financial services for Financial Times, Investment Pensions Europe, Professional Investor and Global Investor. She is a regular speaker at the CFA Institute on career management. Sarah will be joined by Karen Hale, founder of Styledby, who will advise on creating a powerful, appropriate and consistent professional image. Karen creates and styles the images of business and finance leaders and politicians for over 25 years. She works in many different business environments in the City ranging from family offices to private banks and investment banks. To secure your place on City Career Boot Camp please contact Sarah Dudney on shdudney@hotmail.com or 07793204220. The fee for City Career Boot Camp is £350 which is discounted to £300 for Women in Technology members.8. Mentoring and Leadership, 7pm on Monday 31st October 2011, BristolThe Institution of Engineering and Technology Bristol Network and the Women’s Engineering Society present Mentoring and Leadership presented by Jacqui Hogan BSc(Hons) MBA MBCS FCMI, Cocreative. While the benefits of having a mentor are well known, the benefits of being a mentor are often overlooked. This seminar will explain what mentoring is (and isn't), describe the benefits of becoming a mentor, describe the MentorSET programme, explore the role of mentor and mentee, and give some practical interactive exercises. Jacqui holds an MBA with distinction, specialised in Financial Strategy, Managing in the External Environment (Marketing) and Creative Management (Managing Innovation). She has wide experience in senior management, change management, project and programme management, and is trained in Prince 2. She is uniquely qualified in both IT (MBCS, CITP) and Business (MBA, MCMI). All are welcome to attend. 31 October 2011, 19:00 (refreshments at 18:30) 1.11 Merchant Venturers’ Building, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UB. More information can be found here9. Winning Women in IT - Could you be next? 6pm on Tuesday 1st November 2011, LondonThe BCS Chartered Institute for IT - Woman’s Group & Women in Technology jointly invite you to this event. It is your opportunity to hear from, and talk to, some of the finalists and winners from the 2011 CWT everywoman in Technology Awards. Nominations for the 2012 awards have started to come in, but we wanted to encourage yet more applications – as we know there really are so many more who should be considering this. Anyone present at last year’s awards could not fail to have been impressed by the quality of nominations or indeed the passion behind their acceptance speeches. They really were inspirational. This evening event will be your opportunity to meet some of these inspirational women, to listen to their stories and maybe take away some hints and tips on preparing nominations for next year’s awards. Speakers include Juliet Tzabar, Managing Director, Plug-in Media (Finalist in Entrepreneur of the Year), Leesa Soulodre, VP Northern Europe & Asia Pacific, Augure UK Limited (Finalist in Innovator of the Year), Naomi Chayen, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Imperial College London (Winner of Innovator of the Year) and Stephanie Nicolaou, ICT Systems Analyst, Agusta Westland Helicopters Ltd (Winner of Rising Star of the Year). So why not come and bring another inspirational IT woman along too … but numbers are limited, so please book early. Tickets for BCS members cost £6 +VAT and £10 + VAT for non-BCS members. More information can be found here10. The Women in Business Superconference on Friday 11th November 2011, LondonDiscover how you can jump start your career and double your earning potential by attending the Women in Business Superconference 2011! You too can have a guaranteed plan to excel in the corporate sector... And discover the real secrets that super successful business women use to climb the corporate ladder. This is the stuff they don't teach you in business school or any formal corporate training. This conference is a perfect match for you if you want to know the shortcuts even if you’re just launching your career or want to simply know the secrets to advancing to the next level. You will discover: the exact strategies and techniques to use in your annual appraisals that will give your boss no alternative but to promote you; the insider secrets that will save you seven years of frustration and confusion when climbing the corporate ladder; how you can gain confidence and multiply your productivity without working any harder and how to work the system in your favour and to be one step ahead of the competition. We have a special offer on tickets for Women in Technology members - £197 + VAT (instead of £297 + VAT). More information (including how do get discounted tickets) can be found here.11. 2011 everywoman of Influence Dinner, in partnership with eBay at 6.30pm on Thursday 24th November 2011, Londoneverywoman would like to invite you to join them for an informative and inspirational networking dinner for business leaders, their teams and their clients. Two of the country’s most inspirational women in business will talk about how they have achieved success, the challenges they have overcome and their thoughts on what it takes to lead an innovative and creative business: Kate Burns, Senior Vice President - Sales and Operations at AOL Europe and Christina Vaughan, Founder & CEO of Image Source. Diversity pioneer and business leader Larry Hirst CBE, exChairman of IBM EMEA, will give his views on why inclusion is imperative in business. There will also be an opportunity to join in the after dinner discussion with their three inspirational role models. Guaranteed to be a thought provoking and fun evening, your team, clients and those you depend on to make your business more successful will thank you for inviting them. Why not invite your company’s future leaders to join you to hear their speakers share their views and experiences of business – it’s set to be a truly motivational evening. Have your thinking challenged and leave inspired to be an agent for change in your business. Table sponsorship includes the following: One table, company branded, ten seats; key mention, thanks and branding in the welcome address; company logo in the dinner brochure; logo on the event website. Cost of Table - £1,500 + VAT. Individual tickets available at £150 + VAT. More information can be found here.12. The Aspire Leadership for the Future Conference, ‘Life, Work, World’ on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th November 2011, LondonDo you want to see change in your life, work and world? If the answer is yes, join Aspire for tailored, practical and pragmatic inspiration at The Aspire Leadership for the Future Conference, ‘Life, Work, World’ in London on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th November 2011. An exciting extravaganza of over 35 innovative speakers will give access to new thinking for women through latest research, inspirational talks, panel discussions, networking forums and learning presentations and demonstrate how women are making transformational changes to their lives, their workplace or the world at large. Women in Technology are pleased to partner with Aspire and in recognition of the value and contribution that we bring as a networking and learning community for women in technology, Aspire are offering a special discount only for our members. To learn more about this inspirational and rather different conference, please click here. To register and qualify for our special members only rate, click here (special rate valid until the end of October 2011). 25% of conference profits will be reinvested into leadership and business skills training programmes for women in Afghanistan via The Aspire Foundation.13. Call for nominations for the 2012 everywoman in Technology Awards - closing date Friday 25th November 2011In the UK 1.2 million people are employed in the IT workforce but just 23% of it is female, across the UK’s working population this figure almost doubles to 45% (source: e-skills UK report March 2009, Women in IT scorecard). Launched in 2011, the everywoman in Technology Awards demonstrate this profession holds a wealth of career opportunities for women and they shine the spotlight on women who are enjoying successful careers. These women will become role models - inspiring more women to excel or choose technology as a career option. Women in Technology are the official sponsors these awards whose categories include: Rising Star of the Year, Team Leader of the Year – in an SME (with under 500 employees), Leader of the Year – in a corporate organisation (with over 500 employees), Innovator of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Inspiration of the Year and Woman of the Year. More details about the awards and how to nominate can be found here
14. Platform 51 Trustee opportunity (formally YWCA) - closing date Wednesday 19th October 2011Join Platform 51's board of trustees and use your skills and experience to help women take control of their lives. Girls and women are at the heart of all they do. Their activities, services and campaigns are about things women need and want. They give them a platform to have their say and challenge discrimination. Platform 51 supports girls and women as they take control of their lives. As a trustee you will be responsible for the strategy and direction of women’s charity Platform 51. Each trustee is a trustee of the charity and a director of the company. They would like to hear from you if you have: financial and business acumen; talents in technology; an understanding of investments including investment in social business; and/or marketing expertise. Trustees are unpaid volunteers. More information and the job pack can be found here
15. Could you be a trustee for the charity Information Technology for Children's Hospitals?Information Technology for Children's Hospitals, IT4CH, is a 14 year old IT charity which provides technology to long term and terminally ill children in hospital. They take equipment from firms, refurbish them while training young adults (who are challenged due to drugs, domestic violence, psych problems, etc.) and give them a skill and then deploy the computer equipment to hospital schools and kids who are stuck at home. They also provide laptops for hospital teachers who are then better able to go about training bed or house ridden children. Over the past 14 years, they have contributed thousands and thousands of PCs, laptops and other IT equipment to children in more than 250 hospitals here in the UK. They are the only charity in the UK which is involved in this area. It's a fairly small charity - they have a CEO, lots of volunteers (fund-raising mainly) and a turnover of c£100,000 each year. They are now looking to improve and change direction. Rather than just give PCs and laptops to the kids they would like to see if they can extend their role and assist people undertaking research in educational technology assisting sick kids, better communications, perhaps some scholarship to research students etc. As such they would like to expand the board of trustees (currently five members) to include senior technologists who are willing to help the charity with their technology vision, assist in fund raising and thus deploy technology to really help long term sick and terminally ill children in the UK. If any senior technologists in our network would be interested in finding out more, please contact Bhaskar Dasgupta, Programme Director, GTB PCM Sales Transformation Programme at HSBC - 020 7991 0691 or 07545 236 207 or bhaskar.dasgupta@hsbc.com. He would be very happy to have a chat/coffee with you. Alternatively if anyone has any old computer equipment, especially laptops, that they are willing to donate to the charity or if you're willing to sponsor the charity in their Christmas card appeal, please get in touch too. More information about IT4CH can be found here
16. Give A Bit Back - could you get involved?Give A Bit Back (GABB) is a new not-for-profit initiative which is looking to connect professionals with unemployed graduates to help those graduates who are struggling to find work to understand a bit more about the area of work they want to get into, to hear about good volunteering opportunities and to get a bit of advice on how to position themselves for a job including having the right CV. GABB is piloting the scheme in the IT sector and they are currently looking for both IT professionals who can spare three hours per year to talk to an unemployed graduate and graduates who are struggling to find work and would like to chat with a professional in their chosen field. More information can be found here and you can contact Nick on info@giveabitback.info if you'd like to find out more. Nick is also interested in speaking to anyone from our network who might be interested in get more involved and helping to shape this initiative.17. New book "Female Breadwinners - the Future of the Modern Workforce": two free signed copies available!The rising number of women earning more than their partners is causing couples to renegotiate gender roles in the home. At work, forward-thinking employers must adapt to capitalise on this growing talent pool. "Female Breadwinners: How they Make Relationships Work and Why they are the Future of the Modern Workforce" by Dr. Suzanne Doyle-Morris, examines the phenomenon of the rising tide of women who earn more than their male partners. Hitherto a taboo subject not usually discussed even amongst friends, Dr. Doyle-Morris provides critical new insight into the complex world of the female breadwinner. For couples, the new book plots a way forward that makes more sense for women and men when they are bucking convention and entering unchartered territory between the sexes. For companies, the signs are that the future of the workforce of tomorrow is increasingly female. The insights in this book will help enlightened companies to retain their top-performing, senior women. The importance of the female breadwinner should not be under-estimated: 25% of UK women and 22% of American women are now earning more than the male partners they live with - a five-fold increase respectively from 1970s. This social shift offers great potential and challenges to both the workplace and to modern couples. The higher earner in the home is the expectation that most men have contended with for generations, but we are seeing a societal shift which sees more women taking on the breadwinning role with it's burdens and advantages. The reality of women as primary breadwinners is not just here, but is also the future, because of the number of women outpacing men at universities. Female Breadwinners investigates this phenomenon through looking at the lives of women living in the UK, continental Europe and the US, all of whom share the good, the bad and the ugly about the role of female breadwinner. **We have two signed copies of Suzanne's new book to give away to Women in Technology members so please email your name and contact details to info@womenin.co.uk by 6pm Thursday 20th October and the winners will be chosen at random.** Everyone else will be sent a copy of Suzanne's Career Savvy Checklist instead. "Female Breadwinners: How They Make Relationships Work and Why they are the Future of the Modern Workforce" (Wit and Wisdom Press, £14.99) is available from www.femalebreadwinners.com or www.amazon.com 18. New book "Recommended - How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals" - signed copy available!We all know that a recommendation from a friend or trusted contact is worth far more than what we hear from an advert or a sales person. "Recommended: How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals" by Andy Lopata shows you new ways of generating referrals which make getting recommended faster, cheaper and more valuable. If you don't have an effective strategy in place you are missing out on the most powerful and least expensive way of generating new business. **We have one free signed copy available for a Women in Technology - please email your name and contact details to info@womenin.co.uk by 6pm on Thursday 20th October and the winner will be drawn out of hat. We also have discounted copies available for £12.50 - click here. More information about Andy Lopata can be found here19. Special Issue of the International Journal of Gender, Science and TechnologyA special issue of the International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, jointly edited by Juliet Webster, Cecilia Castaño and Rachel Palmén is now available. The issue is called 'Women in ICT: international research from a lifecourse perspective' and features articles from leading researchers covering the issues facing women in ICT at different points in their lives. Together the papers constitute a valuable account of the challenges to women’s participation, from education, to employment and in their senior careers. You can freely download any of the papers or their abstracts here20. GNOME Outreach Program for Women internships - apply by 31st October 2011GNOME is an innovative Free Software desktop. It is easy to use and is the most popular desktop distributed with free operating systems. In an effort to get more women involved in Free Software, the GNOME project is sponsoring several internships for women from 12th December 2011 to 12th March 2012. The application deadline for the programme is 31st October 2011. The applicants need to get in touch with individual GNOME projects ahead of time to decide which project they are interested in working on and make a small contribution to the project. Participants will work remotely from home, while getting guidance from an assigned mentor and collaborating within their project’s team and the rest of the GNOME community. The projects include developing software for the core desktop, file management, messaging, popular applications, educational activities, and the platform libraries. There are also non-coding projects, such as graphic design, documentation, and marketing. The stipend for the programme is $5,000 (USD). Please visit http://www.gnome.org to learn more and apply. The mentorship opportunities are also available throughout the year for anyone interested in getting started contributing to GNOME outside of the internship programme - click here to view the flyer.
21. The 2012 Saltire Fellowship Application Process is Open!The Saltire Foundation Fellowship pushes Scotland’s next generation of business leaders to new levels through a world-class programme which provides a unique blend of academic learning and practical experience. The Saltire Fellowship is based on three principles: entrepreneurial leadership, experiential learning and a global mind-set rooted in Scotland. The Fellowship involves study at Babson College in Boston (the world’s #1 business school for entrepreneurship) combined with high-level ‘externship’ placements with multi-nationals in the USA and high-growth firms in Scotland. In addition, Saltire Fellows gain unique contacts and develop a fuller understanding of global and Scottish business context. They are exposed to world class networks both in Scotland and globally, for example through the GlobalScot network. The Foundation works closely with Fellows to source unique job opportunities, introducing Fellows to potential future employers from Day 1. Saltire Fellows also continue to access networks, business and job opportunities and learning post-Fellowship through the tailored alumni programme. After completing the 2009 Saltire Fellowship, Verna McErlane joined Sistemic, a high growth biotechnology company based in Glasgow, as Director of Commercial Operations. Verna says of her Fellowship experience, “Some of the people that we had the opportunity to work with there were some of the most inspiring and thought provoking people I have had the pleasure to meet. The Fellowship program has been one of the most amazing, challenging and rewarding experiences of my life and I feel truly privileged to have been able to take part it. Now, as a member of the Saltire Foundation Alumni I remain closely linked to the Foundation and all its members which is an enviable business support network to have both locally and globally with the GlobalScots amongst others”. Recruitment for the 2012 Saltire Fellowship begins in October 2011 - to find out more, please click here.
22. Survey: "Corporate Crossovers"Wendy Kerr from Business Momentum is conducting some research for a book she is writing on a phenomena called "Corporate Crossovers" - these are women who have left the corporate world to start their own company. In this five minute anonymous survey she is asking women why they left their corporate careers and the highs and lows of going out on their own. The results of this research will form the basis of Wendy's new book. If you fit into this category, please click here to complete this short survey.
23. Survey: Female Friendly Room Service, have your sayMaiden Voyage is a free social network for women business travellers enabling like-minded professional women to meet for dinner around the world. Their CEO, Carolyn Pearson, is working on an article about room service and she's needing to get some more conclusive evidence to back up her theory and campaign for better room service. Carolyn has a survey running but needs some more responses so if you travel for business, please click here to complete her short survey.24. Survey: How do parents combine parenting with working?To celebrate National Work Life Week, Sherry Bevan is doing some research on how parents combine parenting with working for a local newsletter. Sherry wants to understand what is needed to ease the transition from employee to parent before, during and after maternity or paternity leave. Do we feel that we have enough support from our employer? Is there more that could be done? Sherry has worked in professional services technology for many years and is also an NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor. It is in this voluntary role that Sherry talks to many parents struggling with the transition from business professional to new parent. Employers want to be seen to be family friendly but how does that translate into reality? Female talent retention is a serious issue for many businesses today. Many senior women feel they need to reduce their working hours, work freelance or set up their own business in order to achieve the work-life balance they seek when they become parents. Not only is Sherry seeking to hear from working parents, she would also love to hear from the line manager or HR manager's perspective - what are the challenges for you? What makes it difficult or easy to support your employees? If you would like to participate in the research, please click here to complete the survey. You can choose to remain anonymous however Sherry would also love to hear if you would be willing to participate in a telephone interview. You can read more about National Work Life Week at the Working Families website. Working Families is the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation.25. Survey: STEM Survey 2011 - to be completed by 31st October 2011One of our members, Yetunde Adediran, is running a survey on the national skills shortage and youth unemployment levels, including female participation, in science and engineering. If you have time, c10 minutes, please could you click here to complete the questionnaire to help disprove/prove any views that young people are likely to study science engineering if there was a much stronger commitment on raising STEM awareness, initially, amongst children. And if young people, as well as females are less likely to go on to study a STEM course due to financial barriers resulting in a national skills shortage with a rise in youth unemployment. They will publish the findings on their website http://www.open-engineering-solutions.co.uk in two months time. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Yetunde on yadediran@open-engineering-solutions.co.uk26. Survey: Women Leaders in Higher Education StudyDr Lia Kinane is a research assistant on a project with Dr. Barbara Allan (Acting Dean of Hull University Business School). The project is concerned with women leaders in higher education with a particular focus on exploring women leaders' experiences with mentors that they may have had during the course of their career. In addition, they wish to examine women's experiences of both formal and informal networking. They are seeking to interview women leaders and managers who work in either an academic or administrative capacity in the London area. This is an exploratory study and the interview process involves six open-ended questions and should not take any longer than 45 minutes. Any interviews would be arranged at the participant's convenience - please get in touch by Monday 31st October (or ideally earlier) if you would be happy to be interviewed or have any questions regarding the project. Dr. Lia Kinane Research Assistant, Hull University Business School - l.kinane@hull.ac.uk and 07837 518 207.27. e-petition: Teach our kids to codeResponsible department: Department for Education. Start teaching coding as a part of the curriculum in Year 5. If it can be introduced as a part of the central curriculum in Year 5, then by the time those kids are drawn up through the education system, there would be far less of a disparity between the sexes – and maybe even an increased number of young people with an ability to manipulate open data, relate to code and challenge each other to design and build the digital products that we have not even begun to imagine. Year 8 is too late, we are losing the female coders and we need this generation to help us code a better country. Click here to sign the petition.
