Member Article

Sophie Read winner of a special recognition award at the North East STEM Awards

Firefinch Software is delighted to announce that its Head of Marketing Sophie Read was the winner of a special recognition award for outstanding contribution to STEM education in the North East STEM Awards held virtually on the 15th July. Sophie who joined Firefinch Software in March this year has an extensive marketing background having graduated from Stirling University in 2000, and specialises in life science based marketing. She works to increase the awareness of life sciences and the importance of digital education across Scotland. Speaking on the award Sophie said “I am delighted to have received this recognition for my work around STEM, it is really important for businesses and individuals to share their knowledge and experience with the next generation, giving children and young people the opportunities to see STEM in action at events/careers fairs is increasingly important in the post COVID environment” Ruaidhrí Primrose, Director of Firefinch Software, went on to add “We’re delighted to see Sophie win this much deserved award, she’s been an incredibly valuable addition as we’ve grown as a company. The work she does on STEM education helps to improve the future skills pipeline, which will lead to an increased talent pool for companies like ourselves across the Scottish tech sector” Claire Willis – STEM Business Development Manager – RTC North went on to say “The North East STEM Awards are all about recognising the dedication and commitment of North East STEM Ambassadors, who give so much of their time to supporting the younger generation. We have worked with Sophie for a number of years and felt that she truly deserved once of our special recognition awards. So much of this work goes unnoticed and we thought it was right to shout about and acknowledge her dedication in this way. It is our way of saying ‘Thank You.’ Why do we at Firefinch Software support STEM education? The Scottish Government publication “A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world” published in March this year states that ensuring that Scotland has a strong digitally skilled workforce is vital to economic recovery and could add £25 billion to the Scottish economy over the next decade. In Scotland between 2016 and 2018 there was a 15% decrease in young people studying computing science at Levels 3-5 (National). Just 20% of school pupils studying computing science Level 5 (National) are girls, and only 16% of students pursuing computing degrees at university are women. Current female participation in the tech sector sits at 23%

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophie Read .