Code Girl: Getting girls into STEM careers

A 'Code Girls' day to inspire young women to pursue careers in tech was organised by Brighton and Hove Albion's charity last month.

At an event held in partnership with American Express, Year 8 girls from Patcham High School were tasked with dismantling and reassembling computers, as part of a technology initiative held at the Amex Stadium on April 26.

The session forms part of a five-week Code Girls programme designed to engage more girls in technology and encourage students to choose STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects at school and as future careers.

Since the launch in 2012, more than 400 girls from schools across Sussex have attended the Code Girls programme.

The Code Girls sessions encourage young women to take up STEM subjects at school

Sessions are delivered by engineers, product owners and UX designers from the American Express Technology team, local businesses including IT First and video production company Major Minor Media.

Students gain a basic understanding of coding and the role women have played in the development of coding. Through practical and interactive tasks, they explore HTML code and how it is used to setup, design and develop functionality of a website.

A tour of the American Express office at 1 John Street, also gives students an opportunity to see how technology is utilised within the workplace and the girls are introduced to a wide range of technology based roles at a bespoke Digital Careers Fair.

Vanessa Hackett, vice president in the American Express Technology team, said: “This is an innovative and interactive programme designed to create excitement about technology.

"We’ve seen students’ confidence grow significantly as they gain hands-on