Education

Business Leaders And Educators Gather To Focus On Digital And Tech Sector At The Nhsg Governors' Dinner

Issue 48

The Digital and Tech sector was the focus of a recent Dinner held at the outstanding facilities of Newcastle High School for Girls (NHSG) in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. Hosted by the School's governors, the annual Dinner, now in its third year, has been firmly established as a key event in the NE calendar

Guests at the NHSG Governors’ Dinner included many of the most influential people in the region and they were welcomed by Chair of the NHSG Governing Board, Patricia Alexander, MD of the NE based social lender Shared Interest.

She explained: ‘The aim of the NHSG Governors’ Dinner is to enable the School to showcase its fantastic work as well as to look at ways that business and schools can work together to nurture young people in the region. Guests very much valued being able to hear the views of the next generation and NHSG Sixth Form pupils who were seated at each table, providing the girls with an impressive opportunity to learn from some of our region’s best talent.

“Our theme for the evening was Innovation in the Digital Age and we were also particularly delighted to welcome Jim Mawdsley as our Guest Speaker; he’s an outstanding ambassador for the digital and tech business in the region, and at the forefront of many ground breaking projects.”

Before Jim Mawdsley took to the floor, guests at the Dinner heard from Michael Tippett, who was appointed as Head of NHSG in September 2018. He set out his vision for the school explaining that ‘the School’s mission is to educate the future leaders and shapers of the world’. Turning to the digital and tech industry, Michael Tippett expressed his frustration at the very low percentage of women currently working in the tech industry and how schools and businesses must work together to bring about change.

He said: “I see the role of NHSG as educating the women who will have the drive and capacity to shape this sector. I don’t just want our pupils to go on to be the end users of tech, I want them to be at the forefront of shaping its development.”

He added that the role of school was to “encourage more girls to follow their interest in technical and digital areas so that they can have an equal voice and place at the table”. Guest Speaker Jim Mawdsley, CEO of Generator and Head of Digital Union, in his address talked of the huge change in the digital and tech sector in recent years and that of how he is blown away by the technical and digital innovation in the region. He expressed that all businesses were now built on tech, citing END clothing as a phenomenal example in the NE of how digital and tech platforms have been the key to “astronomical growth”.

Talking on the next generation of innovators, Jim impressed upon the guests the need for creativity.

He said: “Creativity is the most important aspect of innovation. Pupils need to be encouraged to think outside of the box so they can learn to take that same approach into the work place. Being creative and employing free thinking is the key because the reality is that if you don’t disrupt yourself someone else will.” He added: “All roads will lead to tech so don’t be scared of embracing it!”

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