C5 Alliance is encouraging women to discover the career opportunities available to them within the local technology industry this International Women’s Day, 8^th March 2017.

It is no secret that the digital sector is largely male-dominated, with just 25% of digital jobs held by women according to the latest stats. Aligning with its company values, C5 aims to create a forward thinking and gender inclusive workplace, and is committed to employing more women to deliver its services and solutions. To encourage more women to take an interest in technology careers, C5 has highlighted two prominent female consultants as examples of the opportunities for women to develop skills and knowledge in technical roles at C5.

The company currently employs several women in tech roles including Consultant, Delva Guyoncourt, who joined the company with experience as a web designer. Since working at C5, Delva has been given the opportunity to develop her skills and train in new coding languages and technology applications. As part of C5’s Process and Platforms team, Delva now works on development, coding, styling and user interface projects. Senior Consultant, Anna Philpot initially joined C5 as an IT Trainer but her passion for coding and web development led her to seek a more technical role. C5 supported this change in career direction, providing Anna with the opportunity to retrain as a Microsoft CRM Specialist. She now works on customising CRM systems as part of the Bespoke Development team.

This year, the company also promoted two female IT leaders as part of its ‘new generation’ Senior Management Team, Director of Managed Services, Cindy Jacobs, and Director of HR, Ceri Riddett.

As part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, Digital Jersey is hosting Women in Tech: How She Did It at the Hub. The event invites seven women working in the local technology sector to discuss how they began their careers and give advice to other women thinking about a digital career. The list of speakers includes Anna Philpot, who will discuss how C5 invested in her IT skills, helping her to progress her career.

Anna will also engage with students at Beaulieu School to encourage the next generation of women in IT at a Careers Day talk on Friday 10^th March and takes part events throughout the year as an active member of the Digital Jersey Women in Tech group.

Ceri Riddett, commented:

“Whether you’re interested in the technical or non-technical side, there are many exciting career paths available within the local technology industry. Like the rest of the world, in Jersey there is still a distinct lack of women taking on tech jobs in 2017. Our culture at C5 aligns with International Women’s Day, ‘to forge a better working world,’ via our encouragement of creating a diverse workplace that champions equal opportunities. We want to increase the number of women we employ and feel that highlighting positive female role models to women and young girls to ensure they are aware of the avenues open to them through IT is the first step in making our vision a reality. I encourage women in Jersey to #BeBoldForChange to accelerate gender parity in our industry by finding out more about the opportunities available to them. Anna’s keynote at the Hub provides a chance to gain some inspired insight and ask any questions you might have about pursuing your own digital career, and our experts are also always happy to provide advice to women who are unsure how to realise their tech ambitions.”