Theme day about women in the technology industry

About 70 study and vocational guidance counselors participated in the theme day at Science Park Towers in Jönköping on 24 October about women in the technology industry. Two of the lecturers were Jonna Bragd and Adina Valjakka, former students at the Institute of Technology (JTH) at Jönköping University (JU).

"It is great if we can inspire more girls to study a technical education. Study and career counselors have a very important role encouraging those who are interested in technology early on so that they may choose the right path right away. I did not have that plan at all when I was that age," says Jonna Bragd.

"Developing all the time"

She studied Logistics and Management at JTH and got a job at Saab Training & Simulation in Huskvarna after doing her internship and her thesis work there. She works as a production planner and supervisor and enjoys it very much.

"I feel that I am developing all the time and it has been very rewarding for me to be a supervisor," says Jonna Bragd.

She thinks it is important that more girls become engineers to even out the large advantage of men in the technology industry and because it gives a better working environment. She points out that groups work better if they contain as many men as women and mentions that they actually have more female production managers than males in her team.

"Many girls fit well in that role," she says.

"Important to break prejudices"

Adina Valjakka, team leader and software developer at Combitech in Jönköping, likes her job because she develops in many areas and that her employer has supported her to step forward as a leader.

"It is important to raise female role models and break the prejudices that may exist about the technology industry. Some prejudices are that you have to have a lot of technical knowledge before you even start your education, that you have to love math and that engineering programmes are difficult. They are challenging for sure, but if you want to, you will make it," says Adina Valjakka.

She studied the programme Computer Engineering: Embedded Systems at JTH and thinks it gave her a very good technical foundation. She also emphasizes the large amount of group work during the education and that she gained a good insight into working life through the internship (NFK).

"A fun and well-paid job"

Peter Johansson, Director Residential Robotic Software at Husqvarna, was one of several managers from the technology industry on site at the Science Park during the technology day.

"As a father of two daughters, I think it is super important to advise girls about how good it is to work in the technology industry. It is a fun, developing and well-paid job, and because it is such a broad profession it is easy to stay within it throughout your life. The basic problem is that too few girls study technical courses, and we meet with the study and vocational guidance counselors to try to change that", says Peter Johansson.

"Has a great collaboration with JTH"

If you are only interested in technology and start an engineering education, Peter Johansson is sure that you will find a job you enjoy. He emphasizes that Husqvarna has a great collaboration with JTH and that this has resulted in them hiring many talented engineering students from the school, both women and men.

"We are looking for individuals who are passionate about working with technology and we find them at JTH, among other places."

JTH was represented on the theme day at Science Park by, among others, Anders Arvidsson, Programme Manager Embedded System.