​​​​​CANTO and Soroptimist International of Port of Spain​

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 2012, April 26​
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CANTO and Soroptimist International of Port of Spain hosted a Women and Girls in ICT Interactive Workshop as part of the line up of activities to commemorate World Telecommunication Information Society Day (WTISD) carded for May 17th 2012. The workshop which was held on the 26th of April at the Bishops Centenary College for girls in Trinidad & Tobago focused on the increasing need for the proliferation of women and girls in ICT.

The interactive workshop featured a myriad of dynamic female presenters from the private and public sector. Presenters provided students with an overview of their journey to their respective ICT careers. Reference was also made to regional and other international women who have made significant achievements in ICTs. Ms. Judy Joseph-Mc Sween, President of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and the Tobago (AFETT) presided as the Facilitator of the workshop. The other presenters were; Ms. Regenie Fraser, Secretary General of CANTO; Ms. Cheryl Johnson, Manager Communications, Public Relations and Consumer Affairs - Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago (TATT) ; Ms. Monica Ramjattan, IT & Business Alignment Manager, University of the West Indies (UWI) – IT Campus Services; Ms. Ophelia Baptiste, Manager of Training and Development – TSTT; Ms. Monique Mata – Corporate Social Performance Specialist – Flow; Ms. Vydia Bhagan, Senior Regulatory Compliance Analyst – TSTT; Ms. Gisselle Ramsaran, Digital Marketing Specialist – Caribbean Ideas Limited; Mrs. Kelly-Ann Phillips, CEO Community HUB Corporation; Ms. Glenda Charles Harris , Executive – Soroptimist, Trinidad & Tobago and Mrs. Teresa Wankin, Operations and Human Resource Manager – CANTO.

Students got the opportunity to explore the different facets of ICT including potential careers in an area that is seemingly dominated by men. Some of the key points from the proceedings of the workshop highlighted by the presenters and students included:

• Senior positions in jobs in ICT sector for women are attainable and feasible
• ICT is not only about technology but access to it
• Women in senior positions can generate more revenue to the company
• Education is key to success in the ICT sector
• Empowered girls of today can be the forerunners in the ICT sector
• Self employment in ICT is also an option

The jubilant students got an opportunity to explore ICT products and services exhibited by a few of the sponsors. Students also participated in numerous questions and answers segments by the Presenters and were rewarded with tokens for their contributions. The coveted prize of an HP Netbook sponsored by Illuminat was awarded to Ms Camille Cox of the fourth form who was adjudged best written answer for her response to CANTO's role in engaging more women and girls in ICT.

As a parting note, the Secretary General of CANTO, Regenie Fräser, encouraged the students to participate in ICT related initiatives such as: CANTO's 6th WTISD Essay Competition:- Deadline 2nd May, 2012; CANTO/Ericsson i-Create e-Content Competition, Deadline:- 15th June, 2012 and Community HUB - e-Cycle Initiative, August 2012. For more information visit: www.canto.org/wtisd /index.htm

The Women and Girls in ICT Interactive Workshop was made possible by the following sponsors: Flow, Illuminat, TSTT, Docucentre Ltd., DoubleX Workshop and Office Authority of Trinidad & Tobago.

Contact: Tricia Balthazar
tbalthazar@canto.org
+ 1 (868) 329-4207

www.canto.org

CANTO is recognized as the leading trade association of the ICT sector for shaping information and communication in the Caribbean. Founded in 1985 as a non-profit association of 8 telephone operating companies, CANTO has now grown to over 110 members in more than 32 countries. A Board of Directors appointed by the membership directs policy of the Association. This strategy is executed by the staff of a permanent Secretariat based in Trinidad and Tobago.
Soroptimist International is a worldwide service organisation for women. We are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide

Additional document: girls_in_ict_flyer_0 trinidad_1 2012.pdf​