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Comment: B.C.’s technology sector needs more women

B.C.’s technology sector is thriving and is full of opportunities for people with a wide range of skills. Technology continues to dominate much of our daily lives and B.C. is definitely doing its part to contribute to this growing sector.

B.C.’s technology sector is thriving and is full of opportunities for people with a wide range of skills. Technology continues to dominate much of our daily lives and B.C. is definitely doing its part to contribute to this growing sector.

Yet despite all this, there is still something missing — where is the female equivalent of Ryan Holmes, founder of Hootsuite, or Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin? Why are women still under-represented in tech with very few women in leading roles?

Working as the executive director of Innovation Island, I’m one of few women leading a tech organization in B.C. and see all too clearly both the challenges and opportunities that exist. During the past seven years hosting events and promoting technology and entrepreneurship throughout the mid-Vancouver Island region, I’ve met only a handful of female tech CEOs.

These bright, driven, talented women are changing the game and bring a fresh perspective to technology. They are role models who hold a valuable piece of the puzzle — mentoring the next generation of amazing female entrepreneurs.

As the mother of a 12-year-old girl, I made sure there was Lego in the house and that we built and created things together. It is all about planting a seed and encouraging interest in tech stuff. I’m optimistic and firmly believe the next generation of young females, like my daughter, will have a positive effect on the diversity of the tech industry.

Children born in the 2000s went through their toddler years surrounded by technology, often with iPads on their laps. We are now seeing toys on Kickstarter aimed at helping girls gain an interest in building and creating.

Today, there is a coding boot camp called Be Like Ada taking place in Vancouver for 500 high-school girls. It’s named after Ada Lovelace, the woman known as the world’s first computer programmer, who was born in 1815.

On hand at the event are instructors and mentors from B.C.’s educational and tech sectors to help the students learn about coding, one of the basic building blocks in today’s world.

The one-day event aims to teach code to 500 female high school students as part of an effort to make 50 per cent of engineering students female and double the number of engineers in Canada.

Be Like Ada has huge support from the tech industry, including the B.C. Innovation Council.

Events such as this send a positive and encouraging message to girls. Perhaps Vancouver Island will be the next stop on this exciting journey of encouraging girls to code, design and develop.

The technology sector has quickly become a key driver for our economy, and events like these are a great way to build on that momentum. Events such as Be Like Ada and others are important in encouraging more young women to pursue technology as a career. To make a lasting change to the representation of women in the tech industry, we need to reach out to the next generation of innovators starting today.

I would like to encourage more young women to get involved in the tech sector. It’s a tremendous career, it pays well and it allows you to work from anywhere. We can only make the best products, the best companies, if you’ve got diverse teams, and that includes gender.

Paris Gaudet is executive director of the Innovation Island Technology Association in Nanaimo.