Member Article

Britain’s top female tech entrepreneur backs digital skills programme for North East women

Jacqueline de Rojas, the President of techUK, has pledged her support to a new digital training programme for North East women, delivered by Newcastle tech hub Campus North.

Tech for Life, Campus North’s education arm, has developed ‘Leading Ladies for Life’, an initiative for women in the digital sector who want to improve their skills and confidence, as well as progress as or become a leader in their organisation.

A pilot programme attracted women from a range of organisations including Proctor & Gamble, DWP and Newcastle College. The feedback was very positive and the sessions gave practical skills that participants were able to use back in their workplace.

Former Sage board member, Jacqueline is giving her support to the next programme, and will be a guest at the final workshop, talking to participants and sharing her own experiences.

Jacqueline, has been voted the most influential woman in UK IT, said: “Every time we create the space for women to come together to regain confidence, build a network and ignite ambition amazing things happen.

“I am entirely inspired by the opportunity that Campus North is creating and am excited to be a part of it.”

Lyndsey Britton, Campus North and Tech for Life co-founder said, “We are delighted to have Jacqueline de Rojas joining us for the next programme, as an inspirational speaker and role model for women in IT, it will be an unmissable opportunity for women in the North East.

“We know there is a real issue with women not progressing in the digital sector for a number of reasons and we’ve developed Leading Ladies for Life in conjunction with a range of our experts to help address the barriers.

“We were overwhelmed with the positive feedback from our pilot programme and, importantly, the changes it’s already helped the ladies who took part make back in their workplace.”

Gemma Carlile, IT Manager from Proctor & Gamble, who took part in the pilot, added: “The programme goes beyond the usual skills building you get in a corporate training and helps you learn about you. I feel like I now acknowledge my skills more confidently and can rationalise previous behaviours, perceptions and those of others. And it’s super fun!”

The next Leading Ladies for Life programme starts in September and involves one workshop per month for six months. Workshops include communication skills, confidence building, how to implement change, mentoring and practical hands on learning about what’s new in tech.