Although the growth is undeniable, girls in secondary education generally do not yet sufficiently opt for a technical subject cluster. There has also been little increase in the number of students going on to technical follow-up studies. That’s why, as part of Girlsday, health technology company Philips organised a visit to the High Tech Campus today, in which 150 girls from the lower secondary school (havo/vwo) of various schools participated.
On Girlsday, Philips introduces girls aged 10 to 15 to technology. Through practical and creative workshops, accompanied by female role models, the students discover the versatility of a job in technology. Hopefully, they will therefore choose a technical profile more often.
Read also: Technology education is becoming more popular among girls
The Netherlands ranks last in Europe
“With 18%, the Netherlands ranks last in Europe in terms of the number of women in technology,” says Suzanne Verzijden, Head of HR Philips Benelux. “By introducing girls to technology in a personal way, we hope that this percentage will increase considerably in the future.”
Participating schools are Heerbeeck College, Huygens Lyceum, Were Di, Lorentz Casimir Lyceum, Van Maerlantlyceum and Frits Philips Lyceum.
Meike Rademakers is a pupil of the Lorentz Casimir Lyceum: “I used to think that software development had to do with putting all the chips together. Thanks to today’s workshops, I’ve been able to see how it really works.”
Girlsday is a national initiative of VHTO in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and TechniekTalent.nu. Across the country, more than 11,000 girls between the ages of 10 and 15 get a chance to take a good look inside 350 technical and ICT companies and universities.
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