CISCO hosted its first ‘Girls Power Tech' mentoring sessions in the KSA recently as part of a global mentoring initiative to support and complement the United Nations' Girls in ICT Day on April 23, 2015, an annual day of activities organized by the International Telecommunications Union aimed at improving the understanding of careers in ICT among girls. Cisco has supported Girls in ICT since its inception in 2011. Girls ages 16-24 from different local schools and universities were invited to participate in Girls Power Tech mentoring opportunities with Cisco employees, allowing girls to make informed career choices about working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). In his welcome speech, Cisco KSA Managing Director Mohammed Al Abbadi said: “It's important for Cisco to help build the diverse talent pipeline that can capture the amazing opportunities of the 21st Century's Internet of Everything economy. We are proud to sponsor Girls Power Tech as part of our overall global mentoring efforts and thank our Cisco employee volunteers for inspiring the next generation of ICT talent in the KSA.” Dr.Arwa Al Aama, Vice Mayor, Jeddah Municipality (The Amana), was the an inspirational keynote speaker. Globally and in the KSA, there is a massive shortfall projected in the numbers of workers trained for careers in ICT. Cisco's ‘Girls Power Tech' is focused on encouraging girls and young women in more than 50 countries, and 80 Cisco offices, to discover opportunities opened by careers in ICT. Often students are discouraged from pursuing careers simply because they either do not know anyone who works in these fields or they do not understand what people in these fields do. That's why Cisco's hands-on mentoring is so important. Mentoring also provides meaningful experiences for employees, with employee volunteers reporting higher level of engagement, loyalty, and longevity. Hashem Shahwan, CSR Manager Cisco KSA, said “the technology industry in the KSA has never been more dynamic or more exciting. Now, more than ever, we need to be doing all we can to build the diverse talent pipeline that will lead our industry into the future. Cisco's Girls Power Tech allows young women to explore the incredible opportunities available to them in the technology sector and helps to build the skills and the mindset needed to be our leaders of tomorrow.” — SG
