AMD in Ireland: Preparing Girls and Women To Excel in Tech

Tomorrow’s women in tech are getting a boost in their career journeys, with inspiration, encouragement, and support through a partnership between AMD in Dublin and Connecting Women in Tech (CWiT). At an event in 2023, Ruth Cotter, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications and HR at AMD, met with the AMD Women’s Forum (AWF) in Ireland to discuss the exciting initiatives underway to encourage girls and women in STEM and close the gender gap.

CWiT is a network of more than 20 companies with a mission to attract, retain, and promote women in tech. This mission closely aligns with that of AWF, which advocates for girls and women in STEM fields and inspires them to pursue careers in the technology industry.

CWiT membership requires a commitment to getting involved in initiatives, and in 2023, these included supporting the volunteer organization "Teen Turn," the STEM teacher internship program, and the STEM engagement initiative “Digital Futures.”

It is essential to introduce girls to STEM at a young age and build their confidence to promote gender equality and foster diversity and inclusion in the workforce. That’s exactly what Teen Turn does: through this organization, young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds or areas are empowered to develop essential problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and creativity, preparing them for future careers in industries that drive innovation.

In 2023, AMD hosted transition-year Teen Turn girls (secondary students aged 15 to 16) in our Dublin office for two weeks during the summer, giving them the opportunity to gain experience working in tech.

To inspire innovative learning, in partnership with the Dublin City University STEM Teacher Internship Programme, AMD funds two interns per year for 12 weeks, primarily in engineering. This provides teachers with hands-on engineering experience they can draw on to demystify and excite young children about STEM.

As part of the Digital Futures Initiative, AMD engineers also visit schools and share an engaging presentation that illustrates what it is like to have a career in tech. Digital Futures is a program developed to raise students’ awareness of the diversity of career opportunities in the technology sector and promote STEM careers throughout Ireland. In 2023, more than 1,000 young people joined to find out more about STEM careers.

Learn more at https://www.amd.com/en/corporate/corporate-responsibility/diversity-belonging-inclusion.html.

Originally published in AMD 2023-24 Corporate Responsibility Report.