While automation disrupts industries and makes some jobs redundant, new or evolving roles are appearing in the digital space all the time. We talk to three leaders in fast-moving areas of change about the opportunities and landscapes available — and why these are exciting times for women in tech.
1. SPACE TECH NEEDS CRITICAL THINKERS, says Anushka Sharma, Founder, Naaut and Co-Founder, London Space Network
What is the opportunity in this sector for female talent to thrive?
At the moment in the UK, there are over 40,000 people working in the space sector and the National Space strategy was launched by the Government last year — the first cross-departmental strategy in this area in UK history. No matter what your skill set is, there are so many opportunities and we particularly need people who are pivoting from another sector and their skills, because every sector that you can think of relies on space infrastructure — even now your mobile phone is pinging a satellite to tell you where you are using GPS technology, for example. In addition, we’ve recently seen more commercial launches than ever before, and these kinds of developments will create many more opportunities too.
What should women know about a career in the space sector?
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work in the space sector. And you certainly don’t need to be a technical person to work in the technology sector. It’s important to know that whatever skills you have and all the knowledge that you’re acquiring in your sector right now are transferable into the space sector — and are needed. The other thing to note is that there are opportunities wherever you are — not just in London. Scotland produces more satellites than anywhere else in the world, the University of Leicester has just opened its new space centre, and the space sector itself is in the process of developing spaceports to launch satellites into orbit in the UK, from Cornwall to the northeast, so there are space clusters growing all around the country.
What skills and roles will be needed most as the sector develops?
The space sector is evolving with AI and AI itself has ethical implications — we really need to think about the non-technical aspects of technology. I’m looking at the philosophers in the room, the ethicists, the lawyers whose skills are all going to be needed to design policy that’s going to enable this technology to be transparent but also accessible. One of the biggest skills that will also be needed with AI and ever-evolving technology in general is critical thinking, to question why your organisation is doing something with tech and why decisions are being made.
2. RENEWABLE ENERGIES NEED GREAT COMMUNICATORS, says Janis Tavener, IT Portfolio Manager, SSE
What is the opportunity in this sector for female talent to thrive?
Energy companies have a vital role to play as the nation moves from being high carbon to net zero. The UK Government has announced that by 2035 all the UK’s electricity will be derived from renewable sources, and that we’re going to be net zero by 2050. We’re seeing a shift from high carbon power stations to renewable energy sources such as hydro and wind power, as well as solar, wave, marine power and biomass. As such, we’re also seeing a huge growth in engineering careers, whether mechanical, electrical, structural or geotechnical. But it’s not just engineering skills that are needed — to support growth in renewable energy we also need talent right across the spectrum, from environmental health and safety to project management.
What skills and roles will be needed most?
As more organisations are looking to become data driven, a fluency in data and the analytical capability to work with large data sources will be some of the most useful skills to have, while cloud computing and cybersecurity skills will also be in demand to deal with the risk associated with the increasing complexity from increased automation. Another, more traditional skill that will also enhance the industry is communication. Whatever role you perform, you will have to communicate your ideas to peers, teams and to senior leaders so developing communication skills will continue to be important.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about moving into this area?
There’s a wealth of opportunities coming out in the energy sector for female talent, particularly in SSE and our career site sse.com is a good resource to look at. We also engage with several advertisers that are aimed specifically at female engagement, so I’d recommend looking at some of those resources, including equalengineers.com and equalgrowth.com.
3. ANIMATION ISN’T JUST FOR CREATIVES, says Hannah de Spon, Animator, Karrot Animation
What is the opportunity in this sector for female talent to thrive?
Technology has been a massive boon to the animation industry. Most projects now, even 2D and original hand-drawn animation, are done digitally and we no longer need to dedicate massive areas of studio space to do it; instead we can have smaller studios that still pump out fantastic shows and productions to be distributed worldwide. On top of that, moving to work from home through the pandemic thanks to Dropbox and cloud technology, has meant that people across the world can now help us on projects, boosting production and maintaining the quality and output. It’s also opened up opportunities for people with children to juggle work and family life better and allowed everyone to cut commuting times down or out.
What’s the biggest misconception about an animation career?
One of the big misunderstandings is that you must be creative. It helps if you want to be an animator, of course — but you don’t have to be good at drawing to be in animation. Another misconception is that it’s male-dominated — even when I was at university the split was about 50:50 and now we’re seeing many more women coming in, not just as animators, but as directors, writers, storyboard artists, technicians, renderers and studio managers. These people are all fundamentally important to how well our industry runs and need to be there at every point giving input.
What skills and roles will be needed most?
For many people the idea is, ‘Well, I can’t draw therefore they don’t need me in animation’. But the industry desperately needs people who are passionate about all areas of animation, from sound recording to editing and studio management. Don’t be intimidated. We want to see more women coming forward with unique and individual skills that will help us to bring animation out into the world. We need the people who can help us to get the animation on the big screen and onto the little screen — as well as onto any technology that people have in their pocket in the future.
