According to a report from the National Center for Women & Information Technology, women made up only 26% of the computing workforce in 2020. This represents a decline from previous years, indicating that the gender gap in technology is actually widening rather than closing. It is clear that the gender gap in technology remains a significant issue, and there is much work to be done to address it. Everything is being done to encourage diversity and inclusion in the tech sector, but the pace of change has been slow anti7yt what do you mean by the last word? At HerTechTrail, we are bridging that gap by equipping African women to get started in and build sustainable tech careers with relevant and in-demand tech and digital skills. We do this by providing an enabling community where women techies can thrive and by providing access to tuition free learning opportunities in a variety of skills including data analytics, product management, digital marketing, product design, and UI/UX design in the HerTechTrail Academy. As a testament to the progress we are making, meet Oluwabukola Anjorin, a product manager. “My learning experience at HerTechTrail was valuable. It was practical and comprehensive. Classes were interactive and tutors were accessible. I was very confident in the knowledge imparted to me and my abilities, so I started applying for PM roles almost immediately after I concluded the PM Pro course. Fortunately for me, I got an internship role with a start-up company a month after our graduation. When I started working on tasks given to us every week, I confirmed that I had gotten the best training from HerTechTrail. I was able to carry out the tasks because we had practicals in class and assignments as well. As a result, I needed little or no supervision and my mentors were very pleased with my work at every time” Oluwabukola Tweet The pattern of Oluwabukola’s story is consistent with the thousands of women and girls we have supported through their journey building sustainable tech careers across 5 cohorts in the academy with the 6th cohort being onboarded. Our work is aligned with Goal 5 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which is to Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and as such we’re excited that this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023 (IWD2023), is “DigitALL: International Women’s Day has passed, Wonu. Tweak this paragraph. Innovation and technology for gender equality.” This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” We are therefore more driven and continue to intensify our efforts in providing support and inspiring African women to be outstanding and blaze trails in all aspects of Tech careers and business. In the 6th cohort of the HerTechTrail Academy now in session, we are set to train 5,000 African women who will have access to our community and the following perks: 100% Remote Learning Media Hackathon & Prizes Community Learning Opportunity to WIN a laptop 3-month intensive learning Access to remote job opportunities Certificate LinkedIn Profile Optimisation We acknowledge that having more women involved in the technology industry results in more creative solutions and increases the likelihood of advancements that promote gender equality and meet the needs of women. In fact, a lack of women inclusion, comes with massive costs: according to UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report, women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade—a loss that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action. Collaborate with us to empower more women economically by providing tuition-free access to learning much needed technical skills. Get started here.
Category Archives: Women in Tech
Dec
Fam! It’s Christmas in a few days, and the pressure to get gifts for your techie friends is probably getting worse. Sis, in all that you do, never forget that January is coming and it has 57 days! You can have a really good time this Christmas without worrying about money by giving amazing gifts you can afford. The thoughtfulness and the joy of receiving your gift will make the best memories. If you’re out of ideas for fantastic gifts that won’t have you breaking the bank, this is it! This is where you say thank you! If the concept of gifting is strange to you, or you have been wanting to imbibe the culture of giving gifts to your friends, why don’t you try it this Christmas? It is, after all the season for Love and Giving! Caveat!!!! Know that the best gift will depend on your friend’s interests, needs, and preferences, and seeing as you know them best, you’re in the best position to decide. Here’s my advice, it’s always a good idea to consider their style and current use before making a purchase. Now that we are on the same page, here are 7 Christmas gift ideas that won’t put a strain on your pocket and are perfect for techies:  1. Data Support:I saw recently on Twitter NG that the average Techie consumes between 20 to 50 Gigabytes on courses, research, building projects, and everything else techies do. This will easily be the most appreciated gift you can give to a techie plus it’s unisex too! Male or female, we all need data! 2. Laptop/Computer Bags: Stylish and functional laptop or computer bags help keep gadgets, chargers, and devices organized. Especially if your friend is often on the move. A good laptop bag can serve to have everything in one place and make their life that much easier. 3. Gift cards: These are super easy to find and come in different price ranges from technology retailers and online stores. Find out what stores are a fave for your friend and get them gift cards to those stores that fit your budget. The advantage with this one is that they get to shop and spend money they did not work for which is the absolute sweetest thing, isn’t it? 4. Subscriptions: A lot of tools and services popular among techies are now subscription-based. Sigh! There are a variety of needed subscriptions ranging from popular tech magazines, productivity tools, online services even till even Netflix or Spotify for the days you need to relax. This could also be a great way to keep up with the latest tech trends and news while being a fun and educational gift. 5. A portable charger or power bank:These are always useful for keeping devices charged on the go and can be a lifesaver when out and about and need to boost phones or other devices, especially in Nigeria, my country lol. 6. A new pair of headphones or earbuds: Whether they’re into music or podcasts, or just want to block out distractions, a good pair of headphones or earbuds can be a welcome gift. They’re also a great work tool too since they help keep our hands free to multitask while in meetings and on essential calls. 7. Tech-related Books and Courses:Technology is ever-changing, which means techies are always learning. You only need to ask, every techie has their eye on a book or course plus their fave or industry mentor might have published books they’d love to have. With this one, you really and truly need to ask so you don’t purchase a book they have or a course they have taken and passed. Overall, the key is to consider what your recipient is interested in and their needs, and then look for gift ideas that align with those interests and needs. You could ask if you are not sure, but in the end, the gift should be of use to them. As an extra Christmas gift to you (this whole article is my gift to you by the way), here’s one more… Customized merch: Nowadays, it seems like nearly everyone is a techie, which presents the need for personal branding and distinguishing oneself. You can gift your friend merchandise like tees, laptop bags, water bottles, or stickers (stickers are so fun!) that have been personalized uniquely for them. These will not break the bank, and your friend will adore them!
Dec
Dear Small Business Owner, Have you ever heard the saying, “Doing business without advertising (marketing) is like winking at a girl in the dark? You know what you are doing, but nobody else does?” This statement was first made by Steuart Henderson Britt sometime around the mid-1900s. Ages ago! Do you know what it means, though? Come on, let’s break it down. Take a minute to imagine winking in the dark, will you? Hilarious right? I mean, who will see you? Even if you were in a room full of people, it’s still dark, right? Think of the energy you expended on winking; think of what you aimed to achieve by winking—all in the mud! It’s pointless! and frustrating too, sigh! This is the same as running a business without marketing it. You know what you’re doing; you know the solutions you provide; you know the value you make available; you know the needs you meet; you know the better service you can provide; but like winking in the dark, you know what you’re doing but no one else does. I’m sorry to break it to you! While it’s funny to imagine in our mind’s eye, this quote has become a profound business truth. THREE REASONS WHY YOU MUST MARKET YOUR BUSINESS 1. Perception These days, whether you like it or not, the people, places, and things that society perceives or even acknowledges as “the best” are typically not the best. Simply put, they are the best-marketed ones. This reason alone should be enough for you to prioritise marketing your business. 2. Saturation You might want to do some research to see how many other businesses like yours exist. Just do a Google search and see. The fact is, the current global market is highly saturated and more technologically advanced. Easily, there are a hundred, if not several thousand, competitors shouting at your customers daily, trying to get their attention, keep it, and win their business. How exactly will your customers and potential customers hear your voice among the noise, even if your product or service is the best? 3. Upgrade In the present global competitive business environment, we must be distinguished from the noise as having the best solution, options, product, values, or service. Not only that, but we must also instantly single ourselves out, establish trust, build rapport, and show our customers why they should allow our business to be heard. While this is often a challenge, in the end, it is always well worth the effort. You provide solutions, make money, and build relationships when done right. Three birds, one stone—you’re welcome. In conclusion, often, we or someone we know have an effective solution, a great product, or excellent service, yet we rely on family, friends, a website, or “word of mouth” to get it known to the world. You need to get out there with your solution, product, or service and be seen, or you are just wasting time, money, resources, and energy. Learn how to take your marketing game from 0 to 10 in our next digital marketing blog post. See ya!
Aug
Globally, there’s an increase in technological advancement. This is because globalization has taken a more positive impact on the modern world through technological innovations, thereby diffusing across the global economy. The spread of technologies across the globe ranges from developed to developing nations, and Nigeria is not left out. To this effect, it is feasible to consider a database evaluation on Nigeria’s economic growth and market value, hence this shows that both small, medium and large scale businesses form a greater percentage of the Nigeria economy. It is in the same limelight of the stated findings that we shall explore the tenets of excel as a veritable tool for technological importance that is valuable to small businesses across the globe. Introduction to Ms Excel  MS Excel is a software program used for calculation, charting and database to present information in the form of a Spreadsheet A Spreadsheet consists of rows (horizontal) and columns (vertical). A Spreadsheet is also called Worksheet. The intersection of a row and a column is called Cell. The Collection of one or more Spreadsheets is called Workbook. Components of Excel An excel is comprised of the following components like Active cell, Columns, Rows, Fill handle, Address bar, e.t.c. With the aid of a diagram, we shall explain the various components of excel, and equally highlight their functions. Excel interface Active Cell; A cell that is currently selected. It will be highlighted by a rectangular box and its address will be shown in the address bar. You can activate a cell by clicking on it or by using your arrow buttons. To edit a cell, you double-click on it or use F2 as well. Column; A column is a vertical set of cells. A worksheet has 16,384 columns. A column is depicted with alphabets from A to XFD. You can select an entire column by clicking on its header. Row; A Row is a horizontal set of cells. A worksheet has 1,048,576 rows. A row is depicted with numbers from 1 to 1,048,576. You can select an entire row clicking on its header. Fill Handle; It’s a small dot present on the lower right corner of the active cell. It helps you to fill numeric values, text series, insert ranges, insert serial numbers, etc. Address Bar/Name Box; The Name Box normally displays the address of the “active cell” on the worksheet. The address bar is the small input bar at the left side of the window. From the name box, you’d see the name of an active cell or a cell range. Formula Bar; The formula bar is an input bar, below the ribbon. It shows the content of the active cell and you can also use it to enter a formula in a cell.    However, the above explained subsections of the interface does not exclude other subsections as seen in the diagram above which includes;Title bar, File menu, Quick Access toolbar, Ribbon bar, Worksheet tab and Status tab. Data Entry To change the format in Excel, use the shortcut: Ctrl+1 Tab moves right; the next column Shift+Tab moves left; the previous column Enter moves down; the next row Shift+Enter moves up; the previous row Shortcuts in excel F2–Enter into a cell F4–Repeats last command (or Anchor if within a cell) ESC–Exit a cell without making any changesEnter– Moves down a cell Tab–Moves right a cellCtrl, Z –UndoCTRL, D –Fill DownCTRL, R–Fill RightCtrl, (Up, Down, Left or Right)–Moves to first/last non-empty cell in the range Shift, Ctrl (Up, Down, Left or Right) –Highlights up until the last non-empty cell in the rangeCtrl, Home –Moves to Cell A1Ctrl, PgUp/Dn–Moves between worksheets within the workbook Alt, Down –Opens a drop-down list Ctrl, Tab –Flips between open files of the same program Excel has many formulas and functions with some other sub sectional topics like the formatting, named ranges, cell referencing, data cleaning, tables, data validations, duplicates, flash fills, pivot tables, charts, slicers e.t.c and all these have their own ways of making your businesses or work easier for you data collections.  Importance of excel to small business owner Global trends are becoming very important, therefore a small business owner needs the knowledge of excel in order to identify such trends in the market system, organize data, and sort data into meaningful categories. Work Performance: The use of excel would help a small business owner to coordinate (HR) duties, thereby sorting out the work limit per hourly employee. With the use of excel, personal data, profiles and daily expenses can be analyzed and sorted, hence this helps to understand the rigorous nature of business transactions. In the e-commerce business, having the knowledge of excel helps to maintain accurate and up-to-date product information used in generating online sales, reducing returns that are not profitable and avoiding repetitive sales turnover.   Evidently, we have attempted to show how relevant it is for a small business owner to be technologically informed, thereby dissecting the different components, importance and functions of MS Excel. This is to show that modernization and globalization are interconnected.   Similarly, the methodology of our research on how the knowledge of MS Excel can help businesses remains open-ended, that is to say we didn’t explore all the tenets involved, hence giving room to encourage anyone who is interested to further understanding the advancing features in the technological field to join our data community www.hertechtrail.org for more information and knowledge sharing.
Private Learning, Tech Education, Women in Tech
The Significance of Tech Education for African women
Jan
 The tech industry is seen as a male-dominated career and Africa is no exception. Research has it that only 30% of African women make up the tech industry. African women are indeed highly underrepresented in the tech industry. The reason might range from gender discrimination to work culture in previous jobs or industries. Many authors have said so much about the importance of women in tech. African women need to know why they should be in the tech space. Benefits of Tech to African women 1) Tech provides marketable skills: many African women learn dressmaking, hair making, catering, etc. Tech provides much more marketable skills with attractive paychecks such as Graphics Design, Web-development, UI/UX Design, Data Analysis, Content writing, Technical writing, etc. With any one of these, you have the skill to show off and earn a decent living. As an African woman, you can acquire any of these tech or digital skills. Furthermore, far from the perception of so many women in Africa, not all Tech skills require coding. 2) Take part in informed decision-making: Being in the tech space gives room for both professional and personal growth, thereby giving you a spot with a highly innovative and productive team. As African women in tech, you have the opportunity of getting involved in making decisions. 3) Increase in Earning Potential: One advantage of the tech industry to women is the opportunity to earn a respectable salary even at entry-level, this means that while learning and gaining experience, you can earn.  Also, starting in tech as an African woman is a great way to move up your career ladder. 4) Self-paced Training or Coaching:  Unlike other industries, the tech industry does not require a degree to become a professional in tech. You can learn at your own pace to acquire the necessary skill for the job. So as an African woman, you do not need to pay through your nose to get the required tech or digital skills. 5) Work Flexibility: While other industries still work 8 am-5 pm the tech industry adjusted the working pattern that does not require everyone to work in person. The remote work culture is undoubtedly advantageous to African women, particularly those who already have or are planning to establish a family.  Having known why you need to be in the tech space as an African woman, you cannot enjoy the benefits above if you do not acquire the required skill. HerTechTrail Academy is a branch of HerTechTrail that equips African women with digital and tech skills through a private coaching program. With a lot of women being very busy with family and businesses, HerTechTrail has made online tech learning very easy and affordable. With the introduction of her private learning Program, you stand to gain a lot as described below. Whether transitioning into tech or advancing your tech career as an African woman, HerTechTrail Private Coaching Program will guide you through the journey. Although HerTechTrail Academy runs a general cohort twice a year, some African women opt for the Private Coaching Program.  Why up to 40% of Women opt for HerTechTrail Private Coaching Program(PCP) 1) Time: African women opt for the private coaching program in HerTechTrail because they get the opportunity to set their time based on their schedule. Also, women opt for the Private Coaching Program depending on the time they have set for themselves to acquire a specific skill. Waiting for the general cohort would likely distort their plans and schedule. 2) Individualized teaching-learning style: When teaching takes place in a group, the coach varies his teaching style. African women who opted for the Private Coaching Program enjoy the individualized teaching style of approach because the coach understands the teaching style that works best for her, individually. 3) One-on-One Engagement: African women opt for HerTechTrail Private Coaching Program to get the required attention they need. They say, “boost learning outcome”. The women enjoy individualized attention and enough freedom to ask questions without any form of distraction. 4) Builds Confidence: With the Private Coaching Program, African women become more confident about the skill and knowledge acquired. The women become more active and participative during coaching. 5) Career Services: With the help of our career services which include lifetime mentorship, your profile is optimized for growth with a personal and industry-standard resume, Linkedin profile, and even a personal website, together with internship opportunities, your career growth is inevitable. Interested in learning how we can get you started in tech? Have a chat with our academy director to get started.
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