News

To commemorate Girls in ICT Day 2018, a team of SBCS Computing students and lecturers attended an Open House, hosted by Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited, at their Barataria location on April 27, 2018. 

Girls in ICT Day is a global, annual event held on the fourth Thursday in the month of April. The brainchild of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the initiative helps to encourage girls and young women to consider studies and careers in information and communication technologies (ICT). For their part, Fujitsu Caribbean – a wholly owned subsidiary of the US$47-billion Fujitsu Group and a part of Fujitsu North America – hosted the Open House not only to commemorate Girls in ICT Day but also to encourage the invited female students and faculty from local universities to further the advancement of women in technology.

The SBCS contingent comprised:

• Keisha Winter (ICT Lecturer)
• Undine Duke (UOG BSc Computing & Information Systems student)
• Tamara Caesar (UOG BSc Computing & Information Systems student)
• Kavita Andrew (BTEC Higher National Diploma in Computing student)
• Reanna Samaroo (BTEC Higher National Diploma in Computing student)
• Shanise Ghany (BTEC Higher National Diploma in Computing student)

The Open House featured contributions from a cross-section of Fujitsu’s female employees, each sharing their experiences and achievements earned on their ICT career path.

At its conclusion, our attendees spoke about their appreciation of the opportunity to participate in the event and its impact on their professional trajectory in ICT. Here are a few of those comments:

” My experience at Fujitsu was quite enlightening as it gave me a better perspective into the ICT Field. The way each individual spoke about their career with such passion motivated me to continue along the ICT career path … I especially admire the fact that they (Fujitsu) are focused on gender equality within departments and at all branches throughout the world. What also stood out was that Fujitsu allows for internal recruitment which in my opinion, is a great motivator for staff. I admired the fact that a couple of the staff that spoke at the Open House started at entry-level jobs and have grown much within the company since. I am thankful for the opportunity given to me by SBCS to visit Fujitsu; if not I would not have known that our little island of Trinidad holds such a great ICT Company.” Kavita Andrew

” My experience at Fujitsu Open House was an invaluable one. It opened my eyes to see that a company like this exists in Trinidad and Tobago and how important this company is to our nation … While listening to the women talk about their respective roles in Fujitsu, it gave me a good perspective of what their company has to offer to women in ICT and they all started small to get where they are positioned today. I also enjoyed meeting fellow colleagues from SBCS who attended. I can say that from the overall experience, it encouraged me to stay focus and reach my career goals. I thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to future events.” Reanna Samaroo

See photos of the event here.

About the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. They allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.

ITU’s Girls in ICT Day takes place every year on the fourth Thursday of April and since 2011, over 240,000 girls and young women have taken part in 7,200 Girls in ICT Day celebrations in 160+ countries worldwide.