Be the key players of the ICT field

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Be the key players of the ICT field

In June 2012, the World Bank forecasted that more than 2 million new ICT-related jobs would be created in 10 years but the sector would still suffer from 8.2 percent shortage in workforce. In order to get through the situation, more than 220,000 ICT professionals need to be newly trained from 2013 to 2022.

Then the United Nations spearheaded the training and education of ICT professionals. As women make up less than 20 percent of workforce in ICT industries in OCED member countries and women increasingly have participation in society, the initiative focuses on girls and young women.

In 2010, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the United Nations designated the fourth Thursday of April as “Girls in ICT Day” and leading ICT companies like CISCO, Ericsson and Oracle actively support the cause.

In Korea, CISCO consistently urges women to be trained and educated as ICT professionals. The company held a lecture at Sookmyung Women’s University for female high school and college students. The participants had a rare opportunity to attend a lecture by foreign ICT specialists. In addition to the panels at the event, other female professionals were contacted through video conference system and web conferencing tool, providing valuable mentoring for the students with questions.

More than 50 countries around the world were connected for the event, and the students learned the importance of ICT professionals in the future and specific ways for them to realize their dreams in the ICT industry as a woman.

Now that the United Nations is leading the development of ICT professional workforce, those aspiring to be work in the industry will be faced with unimaginable opportunities in the future. We hope female students can be the protagonists in the upcoming world of the Internet of Things.

by Chong Kyung-won, CEO of CISCO Korea


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