​​​​​Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education​

Trinidad and Tobago, 2012, April 26

In celebration of Girls in ICT Day and the theme of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day 2012, "Women and Girls in ICT," the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education (MSTTE) in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago embarked on an outreach tour to secondary schools throughout the country to raise awareness among students (female students in particular) of potential careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Girls in ICT School Tour is the first of a series of projects under the aegis of STAR.TT - a comprehensive programme initiated by MSTTE, which aims to narrow the digital divide in Trinidad and Tobago and increase citizens' understanding of the role of ICT as an enabler of economic and social transformation. 

The Girls in ICT School Tour was launched on Girls in ICT Day (April 26th, 2012) and to date 14 girl and co-educational schools in urban and rural districts have been visited.  The tour's programme, which is both informational and entertaining, seeks to sensitize students to:

• The domestic and global ICT landscape;
• Employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the ICT sector;
• Educational programmes/courses in the area of   ICT;
• The advantages  and challenges of a career in the ICT sector; and
• How to be cyber-smart and responsible as a digital citizen, and online safety

Delivered through a blend of interactive discussions and multimedia presentations, the programme also provided students with the opportunity to win prizes and speak with established ICT professionals.  As female students were especially being encouraged to consider technology-related careers, many of the featured ICT professionals were women who shared their own career paths and spoke to the benefits of a technology-related career.

The feedback from school administrators and students alike has been overwhelmingly positive with many schools requesting that the Ministry return to host similar sessions in the future.  It is anticipated that the success of Girls in ICT School Tour will contribute to the overarching goal of STAR.TT, which is to ensure that all citizens – young or old, wealthy or poor, male or female – are included in Trinidad and Tobago's burgeoning digital society and economy.

For more information, please contact

Nadine Penny
Business Analyst
ICT Secretariat
Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
pennyn@gov.tt
1-868-627-5600 ext 3117

or

Kevon Swift
Business Analyst
ICT Secretariat
Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Kevon.Swift@gov.tt
​​1-868-627-5600 ext 3115