Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority
Nassau, Bahamas, 2016, April 28
More than 100 students, teachers and industry representatives participated in this year's celebration of Girls in ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Day. The event in its second year in The Bahamas, was hosted by the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority (URCA) in partnership with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC), Cable Bahamas Ltd. (CBL), The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (ZNS), and other service providers in the Electronic Communications Sector (ECS). Girls in ICT Day which is a part of a global initiative led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), was held recently at the British Colonial Hilton and hosted students from 24 schools throughout Nassau and the Family Islands. The purpose of the event is to promote the use of and access to ICTs by women and girls; to expose young women to the myriad of opportunities in the sector and to empower girls and young women with the knowledge that careers in ICTs can be very beneficial for them.
"From our evaluations, as organizers and those provided by the students, the event was a grand success," says Randol Dorsett, URCA's chairman who was on hand to greet the students. Mr. Stephen Bereaux, URCA's Director of Policy & Regulation added, "We've received nothing but positive feedback from the organizing committee, guests and most importantly the students and teachers who attended the event."
The day's event took the form of a one day symposium for senior high school girls in grades 9 to 12, and was designed to give students the opportunity to meet face to face and speak with outstanding women whose jobs require significant ICT skills. Following the opening remarks by Mrs. Allyson Maynard-Gibson QC, Attorney General, they were treated to words of wisdom from many women working in ICT positions throughout the country.
Presentations included an informative keynote address from Julianna Mahelis, a pilot at Bahamasair, who shared her personal story about her journey. She told the students that she found it interesting that when she told persons that she worked for the airline, she would often be asked "oh what is it like being a stewardess".
Darron Turnquest, the country's youngest Director of Youth spoke to the young ladies about the importance of protecting their personal brand. He advised them saying, "I am the Director of Youth, when people see me, they say 'that's the Director of Youth', which means that there's some things that I would like to do, some things I want to do but there's just some things I cannot do."
Another highlight of the event was the panel discussion featuring Shantelle Lopez, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Manager at the Water & Sewerage Corporation; Lynda Burrows, Senior Manager IT Operations and IT Helpdesk at Commonwealth Bank; Kendia Barr, Information Technology (IT) Teacher at Old Bight High School, Cat island; Caron Klein, Enterprise Resource Planning Manager at BTC and Shayvonne Moxey-Bonamy, Senior Meteorological Officer at the Bahamas Dept. of Meteorology. The panelists explained to the young ladies the important role ICTs play in the daily execution of their jobs. This was fascinating to the students. For many of them, this was the first time they were exposed to the many critical services that depend heavily on the correct understanding and execution of Information and Communication Technologies.
In addition to the speakers, the young ladies participated in several student activities led by fellow student Gabrielle Hollaender of Lyford Cay International School and a prospective computer game creator, and IT educator Ramona Wells. They were also given the opportunity to visit with a host of exhibitors representing various areas of ICTs in the country. These exhibitors included The Amoury Company, BTC, BTVI, Cable Bahamas, Fourth Terrace Diagnostic Centre, Synergy Bahamas and URCA.
"Thanks to URCA for making this experience possible. Being around the ICTs field for a day, I had an awesome time. I hope to be back next year by God's grace," remarked a 10th grade student from Samuel Guy Pinder All Age School in Spanish Wells. "My career is cooking, but that might change into ICTs," she concluded.
"I've learned a woman can do anything as long as she has her mind set on her goals and her career," remarked a 9th grade student from C.H. Reeves who attended the event.
"Almost 70% of attendees indicated their interest in pursuing studies and/or careers in ICTs as a result of the event, which speaks to its success," added Mavis Johnson-Collie, Corporate and Consumer Relations Manager at URCA. "We look forward to this event growing and evolving each year as we look for unique and engaging ways to expose our young women to the opportunities that abound in field of ICTs in the country."
