Female Programming Network Embla strives to raise interest in embedded systems and technology

Sigma Technology starts a new female programming network Embla with a vision to inspire more women to pursue a career in embedded programming and create a safe place for knowledge sharing and networking. The first online event will take place on March 24th.

The technology industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors both globally and in Sweden. The IT sector has seen significant development even during the challenging pandemic year. According to the Swedish IT and Telecom Industries survey (2020), the industry will lack 70,000 experts by 2024. However, the percentage of women who choose technology for their career and decide to stay in the industry is still falling back. Although more women graduate with a master’s degree in engineering (35% according to the statistics presented by the Swedish Higher Education Authority, UKÄ), there is a gap in females choosing Computer Science (11%) and Electrical Engineering (11%).

That’s why Sigma Technology now decides to start a new female programming network to encourage more women to get interested in programming and embedded systems. Tina Erlandsson and her colleagues want to inspire students and professionals to develop their zest for programming and coding and prevent women from leaving the industry.

“Our goal is to create a network where women working in tech or studying technical programs can meet, no matter what company or industry they work for and have fun programming together. Our vision is to inspire more women to pursue a career in embedded programming and create a safe place for knowledge sharing and networking in Linköping. We are going to both have hands-on workshops where we, for example, can learn to program with Raspberry Pi, and also have inspirational lectures with industry’s role models,” shares Tina, one of the drivers of the Embla network and system engineer at Sigma Technology.

The name Embla stands for Embedded Ladies Association. Embla was also the first woman created by gods, according to Nordic mythology. The original plan was to start a network in Linköping and then expand to more cities as the network grows. However, with the digital shift happening during the pandemic, the first Embla event will be online and open for everyone in Sweden interested in joining. During the evening, the participants will get to solve a coding quest while meeting new people.

“At Sigma Technology, we strive to maintain a respectful environment where people can be who they are, and everyone is treated equally regardless of their background. We work actively to be an attractive workplace for both women and men. We are looking forward to the first Embla event and hope to see many participants joining in and having fun programming together,” says Mikael Karlsson, President at Sigma Technology Mid.

Find more and sign up for the first Embla Coding Quest at sigmatechnology.se/embla.

For more information, please, contact:

Tina Erlandsson, System Engineer and one of the drivers of Embla, embla@sigmatechnology.se.

Mikael Karlsson, President, Sigma Technology Mid, mikael.karlsson@sigmatechnology.se.

Nataly Lamkén, Chief Communications Officer at Sigma Technology, nataly.lamken@sigmatechnology.se.