CSIT was delighted to take part in Empower Girls 2026, a CyberFirst NI event designed to inspire young women to explore future careers in cyber security and technology.

Held at ICC Belfast, the event brought together over 700 Year 8 girls from 23 schools across Northern Ireland, alongside more than 60 companies, organisations, and volunteers from across the tech ecosystem. The initiative continues to play an important role in addressing gender imbalance in the cyber sector, where women currently represent just 23% of the tech workforce in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to engage with interactive demonstrations and learn about the wide range of career pathways available within cyber security and technology. CSIT and EEECS staff and students delivered a series of immersive experiences, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) demos with Dr. Ciara Rafferty and Dr. Matthew Collins, featuring a cyber security training simulation developed by Queen’s University Belfast’s ACE-CSE team.

CSIT would like to thank all the organisers, partners, and volunteers involved in delivering such an enjoyable and important day. We look forward to continuing to support initiatives that inspire the next generation of women in tech in Northern Ireland.

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For more information contact Kiera Griffin-Bennett