Education and tech can help level playing field: Panel

This article is more than 12 months old

Mar 08, 2019 06:00 am

Helping people seize the opportunities brought about by technology was one of the topics talked about by panellists at a discussion organised by Standard Chartered Bank (StanChart) to celebrate International Women's Day today.

Minister of Manpower Josephine Teo, who was on the panel, said: "The whole effort is to try and see what more we can do to uplift people, in every possible way, through education, through skills redevelopment, through redesigning jobs, through enabling them to find ways to move up."

Technology can also provide more flexibility for women to manage other commitments such as family and work, which in turn can help companies attract the talent they need, the panellists noted.

Panellists at the event, held at a Raffles Place restaurant, also discussed how to improve the representation of women on company boards and in senior management.

Mrs Teo said there is a tendency for companies to appoint people to boards who have been "tried and tested" in other boards, often limiting the chances for more women to be selected.

With efforts underway to bring in new women to sit on public sector boards, she believes the experience they gain will make other organisations feel comfortable with hiring them.