Sync NI – Interview – ‘Having low numbers of females in STEM is a repetitive cycle that needs to be dealt with’

“The role modelling needs to show young girls that “having it all” is actually possible. We need to have more positive role models for young girls to show them the fun and varied opportunities that are available in STEM.Organisations need to visit schools to demonstrate the entrepreneurship and leadership of successful women in Northern Ireland. 

“Often, STEM roles are perceived as individual contributor ones, where the task involves sitting alone at a computer or in a lab. That characterisation isn’taccurate, and it can dissuade those who want more of a collaborative or team role. 

“In reality, there are very few jobs where sole contribution is actually the case. The majority of roles are team based, and this is something that we need to communicate through project work in schools and universities. 

“At CME Group in Belfast, we have a group of successful women, from intern to director level, who have presented in girls’ schools, demonstrating their path to success, telling their story and how they’d advise their 16-year-old self. In education, all of the focus is on the subject knowledge of the individual and proving their level of memory and understanding of that subject. This is key for a foundational knowledge. 

“However, in industry, skills of communication, problem solving, negotiation, mediation, organisation, leadership, creativity, and presentations are all vital to deliver a completed project.University group projects can be unrealistic because often they are based on a group of students from the same class, with the same experience. In real life, this is rarely the case.  

“With CME Group’s university partnerships, I am hoping to influence change to permit cross faculty project teams, to deliver genuine solutions to university needs. Also, the project team could be made up of students from different years, so that leadership skills can be established from early in their career.” 

CME Group runs fantastic diversity and inclusion initiatives which run both locally and at a global level. Can you tell us a bit about why they are so vitally important and some first-hand accounts of the type of talent and successful candidates these initiatives produce? 

“CME Group has 11 different D&I Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Our Employee Resource Groups consist of employees who come together around a common mission and reflect a particular dimension of diversity (such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, generation and professional level, life situation, etc.) or special interest.  

“Participation is encouraged and open to all employees. Employee Resource Groups can be mutually beneficial for CME Group, employees and the community. 

“The groups work together on mentoring, presentations, activities, newsletters, events, book clubs, often collaborating across groups with a common purpose. 

“Personally, I am involved with seven of these groups. I am also on associate boards and act as a global mentor.It is a fantastic way to become involved with a global network of like-minded individuals, and to be supported to bring your authentic self to work and celebrate the unique qualities that make you who you are.” 

CME Group is home to outstanding award-winning early careers programmes, from the Higher Level Apprenticeship scheme, Intern and Graduate level. Can you tell us a bit more about them? 

“Our first point of entry into CME Group’s early career program is straight from school or college, via our Apprenticeship Program. 

“Apprenticeships are open to students in Year 14, studying the relevant subjects, with a passion for their chosen field. 

“Our apprentices are on six-month placements around all our technology teams, permitting them to have an insight into the diverse areas of the division that work together to provide our market leading technology solutions. 

“I am the Industry Chair, in partnership with Professor Jonathan Wallace from Ulster University’s School of Computing, for their Employer Advisory Board. I also sit on the Professional Advisory Board for EEECS at Queen’s University Belfast. 

“I hold a position on the Board of Software NI, an industry group working with government and education to increase the awareness, opportunities and funding for the software industry in Northern Ireland. 

“These roles permit me to help influence the curriculum and skills gap requirements for the technology industry in Northern Ireland, ensuring we retain the global respect we have earned for the high calibre of talent that our education system produces. 

“At CME Group, we have been hosting interns on their placement year for 12 years. The intern positions are taken up early in second year for third year placement, so it’s those organised candidates who attend the October recruitment fairs or apply early who are rewarded with the placement with us. 

“These interns grow in confidence during the year, as they take on independent work and see their own efforts realised into applications and platforms used globally. We use the feedback from these interns, and industry peers, to further improve and shape the local university courses. 

“This current year, our split of male/female interns is almost 50/50, which is fantastic to see. 

“Both the Apprentice and Intern Programmes are superb talent pipelines for our Graduate Programme.” 

The apprenticeship offered by CME Group, sees students study a Computing Systems BSc degree, part time, as well as working for CME Group up to four days a week. Having the course paid for and the ability to earn whilst learning must help to appeal to a more diverse applicant from different backgrounds. Can you tell us more about this and how interested applicants can help their application stand out? 

“Apprenticeships are an amazing way to support a student through university. With no need for a part time job, apprentices learn from industry experts, gaining experience in a reputable company, all before graduation. 

“In order to be shortlisted for an interview, the CV is the first opportunity to impress.  

“That said, it’s certainly not all about academic results. Students need to demonstrate their genuine interest in computing through the activities they do outside school or college. This could be running the school computing club, writing gaming mods or hacks, upgrading their PC, or even creating their own apps or websites. 

“They should also be able to five examples of collaboration, problem solving, organisational skills, independence, leadership etc. from their personal life through volunteering, part time jobs, clubs, competitions, groups or organisations.” 

It is amazing to see the work CME Group does with integrated schools, with the Integrated Education Fund recently posting on social media about the generous donation of “much needed” equipment recently which they say is “such a thoughtful and generous act that will benefit many schools and pupils.” It is fantastic to hear of such important work reaching out to the wider community. Would you tell us a bit more about this and other work CME Group does in the wider community? 

“I believe that today, use of technology should be as important as numeracy and literacy, to enable equality of opportunity for personal and career development.  

“This is one of the reasons that CME Group donates our end of life equipment to the Integrated Education Fund, for distribution to schools. 

“In the technology industry, our computers become end-of-life within a few years, as we move to faster and more powerful platforms to deal with the amount of data we handle.  

“We’ve also donated other needed items like cables and recycling bins.CME Group has a number of STEM ambassadors, who volunteer at school initiatives from primary school upwards, to encourage an understanding of the fun opportunities available within STEM. 

“A few years ago, the CME Group Foundation and some of our local staff, in partnership with QUB EEECS, supported 150+ teachers to be trained in coding to help deliver the Digital Technology GCSE. This was a fantastic initiative, however there are still not enough skilled IT teachers available. 

“Outside of education, CME Group has a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team who organise events with local charities such as Air Ambulance and Action Mental Health. For example, on Earth Day, our team joined with the Belfast Linen Quarter to pick up litter in Belfast City Centre. 

“Every CME Group employee has a paid volunteer day, which they can use to support the charity of their choice, and the company supports charities important to its employees through donation matching.” 

You are a clear example of a female in the industry achieving fantastic results and a powerful role model for young girls considering a career in STEM. What words of advice would you have for a young girl or student with a passion for STEM subjects who may be considering a career in the field,as well as those from a more diverse background? 

“The more obvious question is why not? I don’t consider my gender in my daily role until it becomes obvious that my opinions are from a different perspective which may not have been considered, or when I’m the only one in a bright colour in a room of black suits! 

“I would fully encourage any young person to go into a role in technology.You can join a global company, gain a really good salary, and will continually develop your skills for a lifetime. Technology underpins all other industries, so the demand will only increase, as will the opportunities. 

“Perhaps one other thing we need to expand is the mindset of parents in Northern Ireland. I am often asked by students how to influence parental thinking. 

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