The new chair of a group aimed at tackling the gender imbalance in Scotland’s tech sector says there is still work to do to remove barriers in the workplace.
Sarah McLaughlin, vice president of marketing at Scottish space technology company R3-IoT, is heading up the gender diversity workstream of Scotland’s Digital Economy Skills Group.
The group is a partnership of technology and public sector representatives supporting the digital skills activity led by Skills Development Scotland (SDS).
McLaughlin said: “There is a growing skills gap in digital technologies, rooting back to early education and females continue to be underrepresented - a wealth of resources and toolkits exist, however activation remains a challenge.
“Gender diversity brings value to industry and we need to invest in making both educational institutions and industry more inclusive, open, and transparent so individuals of all ages are motivated, inspired and encouraged to pursue any career opportunities.”
Sarah has more than 15 years industry experience and has worked across a range of disciplines, covering financial services, higher education, professional services and technology, for organisations such as Glasgow Caledonian University, PwC, National Australia Bank and Tesco Bank.
Ross Tuffee, chair of the Digital Technologies Skills Group, commented: “The technology skills shortages faced by employers in all sectors in Scotland can only be tackled if we encourage more women and girls towards careers in technology.
“We’ve achieved a great deal so far, but we accept much more remains to be done, and Sarah will be an important voice in setting and helping us reach our ambitions.”
Addressing the gender imbalance is one of a series of priorities in SDS’ work across all sectors of the digital economy.
Claire Gillespie, digital economy sector skills manager at SDS, said: “In recent years SDS has led on, and co-ordinated, a range of actions aimed at improving the gender balance in technology roles from developing a robust evidence base to helping employers attract, recruit and retain more female talent.
“Other developments have focused on various stages of the talent pipeline, from girls in the classroom to women returners.”
McLaughlin added: “There is a huge opportunity to draw a line in the sand, remove the stigma, and write the next chapter of today’s inclusive workplace.
“Together we can collectively help ignite change for now, and future generations and I cannot wait to get started as new chair of the gender diversity workstream.”
Don't miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter - sign up here for free.
