TRC Family Entertainment takes part in Girls in ICT Day in Malta

TRC Family Entertainment announced that it will take part in Girls in ICT Day, an internationally celebrated event which takes place in April every year. This year, the event will be held on 25^th April.

This is the first year that Malta will be sharing in the celebration, ICE Malta having been given the title of ambassador for this day.

TRC Family Entertainment said that five of their female employees involved in this years' event in Malta.

They occupy positions throughout the company: Angela Gillespie is a Producer, Francina Van Twest is a Senior Programmer, Charlene Cassar is a Software Developer, Barbara Stramska is a User Interface Designer and Jade Pecorella is a Junior Game Designer (see profiles below).

They will share their stories of how they came to choose a career path in ICT in the hope that they will inspire young girls to also explore the dynamic industry.

"There is never a dull moment in IT. Systems are constantly being developed, software is continually updated, and I am constantly renewing my knowledge to stay current and focused," said Van Twest, Senior Programmer, TRC Family Entertainment.

"There are exciting developments all the time. It is sometimes difficult to pick and choose what to concentrate on; but I firmly believe that there is something for everyone - and that includes women!"

International Girls' in ICT Day is an initiative backed by the European Parliament and ITU Member States to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of ICT.

"Last year saw almost 90 countries take part in the project, with some 1,300 events organised throughout the world and some 30,000 girls directly empowered with the knowledge that ICT careers can really be for them." Nicolas Jammes, Project Coordinator, ITU-Global Girls in ICT Day Project explained.

The Girls in ICT Day celebration will be opened by the Hon. Evarist Bartolo, the Minister for Education and Employment. Besides TRC, other guests at the event will include SmartCity, Malta Enterprise, MITA, MCA, Women in Business, University of Malta, Connexo and 6pm.

ICE Malta will also be launching a 'Tech needs Girls' competition, alongside fashion brand, Jennyfer.

TRC's female employees taking part in Girls in ICT Day

Angela Gillespie

Producer

I have over 10 years' worth of production and product management experience, with over seven of those in the games' industry. My role as producer is to ensure projects are planned and executed on time and budget and delivered to the market at the highest quality. I love my job because I get to interact and interface with every department of a studio and learn how the magic of games comes together from concept to product launch.

I chose this career path because I enjoy communicating and being the 'conductor' of many moving parts and driving projects to come together. I chose the game industry because I absolutely love to work with some of the brightest and most creative people, making quality entertainment that puts a smile on people's faces - and be a part of innovative technology, never having a boring day.

I also have an MBA in Global Business and hope to continue to grow as the industry grows to improve business models, studio efficiency, and growth in the gaming sector in Malta.

Francina Van Twest

Senior Programmer for Interactive Books

While studying at school and University, I never imagined I would end up working in IT, let alone developing code as a programmer.

I first studied Literature at University, specialising in Medieval English. I particularly loved the battle scenes - so perhaps that was an early indicator that I would end up working in the IT Games industry!

My first real job after graduation was in Local Government, where I started in administration, and worked up to being a Research and Development officer for the Housing department. It was only then - after a curious run-in with some badly managed data - that I realized I had a penchant for normalizing data. Surprised, yet enthused, by this discovery, I enrolled to study for a conversion Masters in IT to enter the industry.

I thought I was studying with the aim of being a Database Administrator - and this has been one of my roles. However, my real love ended up being programming. I have worked in web systems, games, and corporate financial, customer and accounting systems. Now I am building an app for the iPad.

There is never a dull moment in IT: systems are constantly being developed, software is continually updated, and I am constantly renewing my knowledge to stay current and focused. There are exciting developments all the time. It is sometimes difficult to pick and choose what to concentrate on; but I firmly believe that there is something for everyone - and that includes women!

Jade Pecorella

Junior Game Designer

From a young age, I was always fascinated with computers, games and the changes they bring to an everyday life. Having my son helped me become far more aware of the advantages that technology can bring to a child's education, making it fun and exciting to learn.

This was one of the main reasons why I chose a career in the industry. As much as I was interested and really enjoy it, I wanted to learn and participate in this expanding industry to help bring these advantages to families. I started studying Web development and design, both in my free time, and also attending MCAST Malta in multiple courses - which led me to my previous position as a Junior Software Developer here at TRC.

After a couple of months of being exposed to what a Game Designer's role is in the gaming industry, I knew where and what direction I wanted my career path to lead me. Having a creative mind along with a programming background helped me to get to my current position as a Junior Designer here at TRC. It is a vast industry and an extremely interesting one - one that I will continue to enjoy working in for more years to come.

Charlene Cassar

Software Developer

At the tender age of two, I was introduced to the wonderful world of computers which I consider was the start to my ongoing fascination with this industry, and which led me to my position as a Software Developer here at TRC. I am also currently reading for a Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence on a part-time basis, where my studies and thesis are focused on Game Development.

One of the main challenges that the ICT sector pose are ongoing changes in technologies and practices. In attempt to keep up-to-date with these changes I hope to enrich my knowledge through my studies, ICT-related forums and experience I obtain from work.

Fortunately, numbers have slightly increased in figures representing females selecting careers in the ICT sector; however, this number is still remarkably low when compared to the number of males in the same sector. I believe the main reason for this large ratio difference between females and males in ICT is due to the stereotypical image portraying ICT jobs more suitable for males, rather than females.

Encouraging a significant number of females to pursue careers in ICT is the only means to eliminate this incorrect perception. I believe females may be encouraged by having successful females employed within the ICT sector speak to female students in secondary schools about their experiences.

Barbara Stramska

User Interface Designer (UI/UX Designer, UX Architect)

I graduated from Digital Arts at Kingston University (London, UK). I also studied as an exchange student at Hochschule fur Gestaltung in the Media Arts Department (Frankfurt, Germany) and at Central Saint Martins - Art Direction and Advertising (London, UK) where I worked with excellent artists and designers including Francine Galea, Deutschlandrock, Ulrike Gabriel, Florian and Jenett .

Before joining TRC, I worked for Modern Times Group (MTG) as a User Interface and Graphic Designer. At MTG I was involved in creating websites, e-mail campaigns and ready web products.

At TRC I now work as a UI/UX Designer, UX Architect. Designing is not only about doing your job at that moment but also about being curious, having ideas and keeping your mind open to what's happening around you.

My interests include graphic design, interaction design, animation and motion graphics. Furthermore, being a musician I find it very interesting how through the use of new technologies music and design can create new forms of art. My work includes video mapping, AV performances and interactive installations as well as Graphic and UI/UX Design.

My latest biggest work was a Video Mapping project on the Palace in Valetta on New Year's Eve, which I created together with Shadeena Studios and Studio 7 (funded by Malta Arts Funds). The latest exhibitions and festivals I took part in were: B-Seite Festival, 2012, Mannheim in Germany and Live Performers Meeting, 2012 in Rome, Italy.