Some of the speakers, guests and the Technocamps team at the event: held annually, it attracted nearly 200 guests to the venue at Swansea’s Patti Pavilion, where they heard from a range of speakers with inspirational stories to tell.
Inspirational women were in the spotlight at a Swansea gala dinner, organised by Technocamps, a pan-Wales skills programme, to mark International Women’s Day 2024.
The event, held annually, attracted nearly 200 guests to the venue at Swansea’s Patti Pavilion, where they heard from a range of speakers with inspirational stories to tell.
To start the evening, Anne Jessopp, CBE discussed her experience of being the first woman chief executive of the Royal Mint. Dr Emma Hayhurst, chief executive of Llusern Scientific, gave the audience ten extremely valuable life lessons.
Bethan Jenkins spoke about her work as lecturer in digital forensics and cyber security at the University of South Wales. Prior to this, she worked as a forensic quality specialist and digital forensic examiner at Gwent Police.
Then the guests heard from Gower College student Anna Petrusenko, who passionately shared her incredible story of moving to Swansea from her hometown in Ukraine. Anna was named as student of the year 2023 by STEM Cymru, has won international Olympiads, and recently met with Secretary Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton during their visit to Swansea University.
This year was the 24th anniversary of the event. Over the years it has become a regular feature on the Welsh social calendar, with guests travelling from all parts of the country to attend.
Technocamps is a pan-Wales schools, community and industry outreach programme based at Swansea University but with a hub in every University across Wales.
It provides hands-on workshops to primary and secondary schools, professional development training for teachers, and digital upskilling opportunities for adult learners.
Its core remit for schools is to engage with specific groups of young people – particularly girls and those in isolated regions of the country – who disengage with STEM subjects. It then supports and encourages them to take up digital and STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level and beyond.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. Annually, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements.
Professor Faron Moller, Director of Technocamps said:
“Our International Women’s Day Celebration Dinner is a highlight of the Technocamps annual calendar. It is an honour for us to showcase the amazing stories of our diverse speakers. We are incredibly grateful to them, and to the attendees who make the event such a success every year in addressing the gender imbalance in the digital workforce and helping to break down barriers, both real and perceived.”