In a bid to encourage more women into the area of science and technology – and working for technology companies – Intel is providing grants to female students who choose to embark on a course in a science, technology or engineering-related discipline at third-level this year.

This is being done via the recently-launched Women in Technology scholarship programme.

Most of the roles at Intel Ireland are technical and the company is actively seeking to increase the proportion of these roles being filled by women.

“What we find is that the more technical the employee mix becomes, the less female candidates are available to fill the roles and this is something which needs to be addressed,” says an Intel spokesperson.

The Women in Technology scholarships are open to female school-leavers entering specified four-year undergraduate degree courses this September, and the scholarship programmes are available at the Intel sites in both Leixlip and Shannon, although the opportunities vary slightly.

The programme in Leixlip offers a grant of €2,000 per annum for those candidates who get a place on specified courses in UCD, Trinity, UCC, DCU, DIT, UL, Maynooth and NUI Galway. Some examples of the degree programmes covered by the scholarship include: electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, general science, computer science and general engineering.

However, those who get in to the Shannon programme get an even better deal as they’ll be given €3,000 per annum and there is a much broader range of courses and institutions that will deem students eligible for the scholarship.

Furthermore, students who are already placed in the first two years of relevant university degree courses can also apply for the scholarship.

For the programmes in both Leixlip and Shannon, successful candidates will get internships with Intel and be assigned a mentor, who is an Intel employee, to assist and provide advice on managing their academic career.

There is still a lot of time to apply (until 18 October) so you don’t need to panic about application forms now, but when you do they’re available at www.in tel.ie/womenintechnology.

Today, Intel has 5,200 employees across the island of Ireland.

Take Care of Your Business

A Taking Care of Business event for the southeast region will take place at the Tower Hotel in Waterford on Thursday 30 April, from 8.30am to 1.30pm.

This free half-day event will bring together over 26 State bodies in one location, that will provide information across a wide range of areas, including tax, employment and health and safety obligations, and give advice on Government procurement and intellectual property, to name but a few.

This initiative aims to help small and startup businesses to understand and benefit from the services provided by many State offices and agencies.

There really is quite a remarkable range of bodies represented at the event and it seems likely every possible question you could have in relation to running a business will be answered.

There will also be Government representatives present. Minister for Housing Paudie Coffey will give the keynote address and Minister for Employment and Business Ged Nash will close the event.

The day is divided into three sessions, the first of which is chaired by Clare Hughes, MD of CF Pharma Ltd, the second by Dermot Walsh, director of M&D Bakery Ltd, and the third by Louise Grubb, CEO of Q1 Scientific.

To register for the event, and for more details, visit www.takingcareofbusiness.ie. Early booking is strongly advised as there is a limited number of places available.

FSAI Events

When starting a small food business, the food safety requirements can seem overwhelming to say the least.

This is why the FSAI is organising a free half-day seminar which aims to explain all the requirements needed to get your business off the ground.

The event will cover food business registration, the inspection service, food safety training, labelling, food safety management systems, recall and traceability, and new product development.

The Small Food Business Startup Seminar takes place at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone on Tuesday 21 April, from 8.20am to 1pm (registration begins at 8am). Speakers at the event include: Raymond Ellard, director of Consumer Protection with the FSAI, as well as many other experts from the FSAI.

There will be food business case studies examined on the day, provided by Karen Gordon from Roscommon Chocolate Company and Richard Siberry from Black Donkey Brewing Ltd in Roscommon.

Also present will be a representative from the Environmental Health Service, a new product development expert from Teagasc, while the Local Enterprise Office, Health and Safety Authority, the HSE, Teagasc and Microfinance Ireland will have information stands at the event. There will also be a number of Q&A sessions if you want to put a question to the experts.

To register for this event, visit www.fsai.ie.