{"id":36178,"date":"2020-07-02T09:34:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T13:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=36178"},"modified":"2021-08-02T06:24:44","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T10:24:44","slug":"stemettes-stem-training","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/stemettes-stem-training\/36178\/","title":{"rendered":"Young women may be the answer to cybersecurity’s skills gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s a regular path into tech, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE didn\u2019t take it. A child prodigy, she was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level (high school) computing. At 20, she graduated UK\u2019s Oxford University with a Masters in Maths and Computer Science.
\n\"stemettesAnne-Marie\u2019s inspiration to turn her hand to social enterprise came from a stark realization. Attending a work conference in the US, she decided she wanted to change things for women who came after her. \u201cIt turned out to be a massive \u2018women in tech\u2019 conference. I had a bit of an epiphany. I\u2019d always been a girl and had always been into tech, and had never noticed that was something strange,\u201d she explains. \u201cSo I started Stemettes as a response to that, to ensure my unborn daughters could be what they want to be, and thrive, because society depends on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Stemettes is changing<\/h2>\n

Stemettes work across the UK, Ireland and beyond to inspire and support young women into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. It includes a content platform full of inspiration<\/a>, free events and programs such as mentoring, school holiday programs and regular clubs \u2013 provided online in the age of COVID-19, in person at other times. \u201cOur ethos across is it\u2019s always free, always fun and there\u2019s always food,\u201d Anne-Marie adds.<\/p>\n

The idea the tech industry needs more women and girls might seem a little old-hat in 2020. Much has been achieved, but women make up only 10 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce<\/a>. The cybersecurity skills gap<\/a> shows there\u2019s no room to let any interested young person go without the chance to get more involved.<\/p>\n

Stemettes has created cybersecurity courses and opportunities for young women where schools aren\u2019t yet catering for their interests. Along with British tech skills training provider QA<\/a>, they\u2019ve developed certification academies so young women between 17 and 25 can gain professional cybersecurity qualifications over half-term.<\/p>\n

The skills gap is more complex than you think<\/h2>\n

Anne-Marie thinks there are a few elements to the cyber-skills gap problem across the industry. Understanding them can help inform where and how teaching skills to girls can have most impact. First, there\u2019s a lack of focus on basic digital skills across the board. Second, many more people need expert cyber-skills to build the industry and meet its demand. Third, there needs to be more focus on cybersecurity services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) using digital technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a gap in not just cyber-awareness<\/a> for SMBs, but also cybersecurity services and advice aimed at and priced for them. When I was younger, there were a lot of people, and social media agencies, who\u2019d go to their local high street and say, \u201cHey, barber, pay me each month and I\u2019ll run your Facebook and your Instagram.\u201d There\u2019s a cottage industry around that, but we don\u2019t have that for cybersecurity. We\u2019ve ended up having a lot of vulnerabilities because people aren\u2019t following basic cyber-hygiene.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s bigger than just SMBs turning their businesses digital, though. Anne-Marie says, \u201cThere\u2019s so much in building systems, even just for us to be able to vote electronically<\/a> in the future. There\u2019s a lot that needs to be developed in the cyberspace just to keep us safe. We don\u2019t have enough people with these skills to work in these companies and run these start-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why teaching girls can be the solution<\/h2>\n

In creating the Stemettes Certification Academy<\/a>, Anne-Marie saw an opportunity for girls not only to be better trained in cyber-skills, but be able to jump into the profession armed with expertise and qualifications.
\n\"stemettes\u201cWe spotted from the girls we work with that the provision in the normal education system for anyone who wants to be in computer science is patchy. So academically, they\u2019re not able to pursue things they\u2019re interested in, or getting blocked from being able to develop skills they\u2019ll need when working,\u201d Anne-Marie explains. \u201cThese girls are learning from real trainers who teach and work professionally in cybersecurity. They\u2019re doing real adult qualifications in cyber to learn the basics, but also to understand their options in cyber.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Anne-Marie, Stemettes is playing a role bigger than just filling the current skills gap. \u201cWe\u2019re skilling up with real certifications and a generation of new young women who can work in cyber, but even if they choose not to, they take cyber-knowledge into medicine, architecture or other parts of life they touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

How should businesses get involved?<\/h2>\n

Stemettes is proving there\u2019s a high impact from its focus on sharing, upskilling and awareness-raising. What does Anne-Marie think corporates working with technology could be doing?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should fund any kind of cyber-awareness, or cyber-skills, programs around them. They need to invest in future skills and skills of their people. They should also open their doors and do as much sharing in the community around them. I get that if you make money from your cyber-knowledge, giving it away for free isn\u2019t the easiest. Still, much is already public in skills frameworks, so they can be part of information dissemination to society. That would be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stemettes is just one organization supporting routes for girls and women into technology. Kaspersky partners with Girls In Tech<\/a>, a STEM organization for women, and Cyber Starts<\/a>, its EU campaign to support early talent women which has hosted events in London, UK and Boston, USA with inspiring female industry speakers. It also hosts the Women in cybersecurity Facebook group<\/a> to support those entering and working in the field.<\/p>\n

It might seem like Anne-Marie is asking a lot, but the need for a long-term approach in investing in cyber-skills is ever more pertinent in 2020 as the world demands more, better, faster technology. As she puts it: \u201cIt ultimately makes their job easier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cybersecurity learning opportunities are patchy for girls, Anne-Marie Imafidon has found. She started Stemettes to help smooth their path into tech careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2518,"featured_media":36261,"template":"","coauthors":[3504],"class_list":{"0":"post-36178","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-cybersecurity-training-cybersecurity","7":"emagazine-category-talent-business","8":"emagazine-category-women-and-diversity","9":"emagazine-tag-careers","10":"emagazine-tag-education","11":"emagazine-tag-skills","12":"emagazine-tag-women"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/stemettes-stem-training\/36178\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/stemettes-stem-training\/22764\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/stemettes-stem-training\/20855\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/36178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=36178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}