We welcomed a group of 13-19 year olds to Voyado’s Stockholm office, to network and learn what a day in the life of an engineer is like.
The initiative is called Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, and is collaboration with Womengineer, a foundation that works towards gender equality in graduating engineers by 2030.
Two of the participants were Jennifer and Agnes, and we asked them some questions about their experience at Voyado.
“We learned a lot! I don’t think either of us knew what an engineer does. I did not realize programming was done manually, and that there are so many different types of roles needed in a tech business,” said Jennifer.
She continues: “I think I have always been curious to understand how things work in the backend, but I didn’t know where to learn more.”
“We have been talking about development and programming in school, but I think it was a lot better to come here and understand for myself how it works. I was not particularly interested before – but now that I know more, it is something I would consider for the future,” said Agnes.
“It might be an option! I like that it seems like a creative profession, since problem-solving is a big part of the job. I also learned you do not have to be great at math to become a developer. Different strengths and competencies are valued for different types of roles,” said Agnes.
“Yes, 100%,” concluded Jennifer.
Magnus Broeders, Engineering Manager at Voyado, was one of the hosts on the day:
“This initiative is very important since our daily lives are becoming more digitized. IT and tech are not isolated industries but rather integrated parts of everyday life for everyone, everywhere. Representation of women in the sector is poor, and with the speed of tech development, it means our digital society is lacking crucial perspectives.”
The tech industry struggles to attract young women. According to the recent study “Young Women and Tech“, 70% of women aged 16-30 express interest in tech jobs, but 60% feel that the industry is too masculine. The proportion of young women working in tech is only 7%, and this hasn’t changed much since the survey was first carried out, nine years ago.
“Improving the situation requires working with both women and men. Companies must dare to ask themselves why the industry is perceived as too masculine and actively work on their corporate culture to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment. When people with different backgrounds, genders, and ages come together to collaborate, there is a higher level of innovation and a broader range of perspectives, leading to better solutions.”
“In conclusion, diversity in tech development is necessary to reflect all the perspectives that exist in society. Encouraging young women and non-binary individuals to pursue careers in technology and increasing their representation in the industry will lead to more sustainable and innovative IT systems and solutions for the future”, said Magnus.
Are you interested in a career in tech?
Reach out to Magnus at magnus.broeders@voyado.com.
Voyado is a SaaS company helping retail brands create hyper-relevant shopping experiences, increase customer loyalty and drive business growth. Their AI-powered customer experience cloud includes a product discovery engine with deep product knowledge to predict and respond to visitors’ intentions on e-commerce websites, and a multichannel marketing platform that offers invaluable insights and campaign tools for delivering automated and personalized shopping experiences.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the company has more than 300 employees around Northern Europe, growing rapidly with customers around the world.
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