BARCLAYS aimed to inspire hundred of Cheshire schoolgirls to consider a career in technology at its Radbroke Hall base on Friday.

The inaugural ‘Girls Allowed’ event was a one day conference held at Barclays Technology Centre designed to demonstrate that careers in technology are accessible to girls.

The October 24 event was part of the bank’s pledge towards the government’s ‘Your Life’ campaign which focuses on increasing support for STEM subjects and take up specifically among girls. Barclays hoped it would inspire girls to think about IT as a subject in the short term and technology in the long term.

Speakers at the event included a Bletchey Park veteran Betty Webb and Andrew Miller MP, chair of the science and technology select committee.

Claire Findlay, head of resource management from Barclays, said: “Barclays has been working with various community partners with the objective of improving the skills of young people in the region and their awareness of career options in technology.

“Through the various interventions with North West schools, colleges and universities, the technology site has been able to hire over 200 talents young people into permanent roles on to its award-winning Technology Apprenticeship programme.

“At the outset, however, we encountered a strong perception that it was a ‘job for the boys’, with very few applications from girls.

“We have since focused on making the programme accessible to young women and we hope the Girl’s Allowed conference will help encourage even more girls to consider a career in technology.”