ICT

"The role requires someone with good communication skills, a sound understanding of technology, creativity, and a good sense of humour!"

IT Product manager – female

Only 15% of those working in ICT are female.

Information technology covers a variety of jobs, careers at different levels from assistants to managers including developers and technicians.

Desirable skills include problem-solving, working in a team, strong communication skills. But you do not have to be male!

There is an image of people working in IT as geeky and male. However a useful skills for many IT jobs is the ability to work with lots of different kinds of people, assisting and helping people at all levels in a company. This means being friendly and approachable, certainly not geeky! Being able to work well with staff and customers are as essential, if not more so than technical ability.

Working hours

People in ICT can work normal office hours which are roughly Monday to Friday 9 – 5 however this is not always the case and like with most jobs, people are often working outside these hours to suit.

What qualifications do I need?

IT is a fast moving and ever changing area so expect to be continually learning and training. There are no set entry requirements, but applicants with GCSEs/S grades (A-D/1-4) in subjects such as Maths, IT and English would be at an advantage.

What's the pay like?

Like most areas it depends what you do and varies with experience! An ICT professional's pay is on average around £35,000. A programmer or developer will start on around £17,000 and can rise to £70,000. Any managing responsibilities will increase salary.

Links

Women into Computing is a network of people committed to raising the profile of women in the computing and IT field.

www.wic.org.uk

Sector Skills Council for Information Technology and Telecommunications acts as the voice of employers on IT, Telecoms and Contact Centres to create the skills environment that businesses need to be productive and competitive.

www.e-skills.com

The British Computer Society Women's Group provides networking opportunities and support for all women working in IT around the world.

www.bcs.org.uk/bcswomen

Computer Clubs for Girls is an online club for girls interested in IT

www.cc4g.net