Players in the tech industry have raised concern over the female students in universities and colleges shying away from taking up ICT courses saying it has limited their marketability in the job market.
Led by Zetech University Director of Research and Innovation Esther Wanjiru, they said most jobs have been interconnected to technology and thus the need for students to not only learn tech skills but also be abreast with new trends.
She cited the university saying out of the 50 students undertaking IT-related courses, including Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Information Technology among others, only five per cent are female.
“This is a concern because technology is now taking over in all sectors. Workers need to be abreast with the rapidly changing technological advancement. The opportunities in the digital workspace by far surpass the number of digital workers. This is the reason we are rallying our female students to take up ICT courses so that they can have a competitive edge even in the job market,” Wanjiru said.
She was speaking at the University on Monday during a workshop dubbed ‘Women in Tech competition’ for female learners drawn from various higher learning institutions.
She added that as part of making their students competitive, the university has come up with a linkage programme for ICT students with various tech giants including Microsoft, Huawei, Google, and Africa Stocking among others, for internship and other opportunities adding that in some instances, the students end up being absorbed by the tech firms.
Her sentiments were echoed by Eve Kilel of SheHacks, a cyber-security firm operating in the country who called for the need to rope more girls into the tech world as a form of empowerment.
Velma Wafula, a former IT student at Zetech who’s now working with USIU-Africa also challenged students to create networks with renowned tech firms, organizations, and individuals to increase their chances of securing jobs.
Meanwhile, Wanjiru divulged that Zetech students have already enrolled in the Ajira Programme that was piloted in the country by the Ministry of ICT in 2016.
Some of the training the students have received through the program includes Transcription, Digital Marketing, Virtual Assistance, Data entry and management, and Online Writing.
“The program has trained and mentored students on the importance of leveraging skills such as article writing, transcription, digital marketing, and virtual assistance in transforming their livelihoods by working online. Most of our students are earning while learning,” Wanjiku said.
By Muoki Charles
