Information technology services company CGI has been a global pioneer in the IT industry since it was founded more than 40 years ago.
Now firmly established in Scotland, with offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Melrose and Edinburgh – part of a worldwide CGI workforce of 77,000 – it has been striving to help lay the foundations that will shape the future success of the nation’s IT industry.
This includes critical technology infrastructure across a diverse group of sectors – from local and public government to energy, utilities, financial services, space and defence.
Also of vital importance to CGI is education – and a key aim is to help shine a positive, progressive and informative light upon the achievements and hopes of those working within the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This led to CGI establishing a partnership with The Herald to back its STEM campaign along with the top tier of Scottish industry and academia.
This partnership recognises that training a modern workforce to work in a digital space is vital to growth and ensuring a highly-skilled economy for Scotland.
It aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, inventors, engineers and academics to embrace STEM subjects in their learning – with the aim of making young people aware of the wealth of opportunities on offer if they choose to dedicate their lives to societal advancement, technological progression and the search for knowledge.
So far the CGI-Herald STEM partnership has led to several ground-breaking schemes bearing fruit. Chief among them was CGI’s continuing support of Scotland’s excellence in higher education by sponsoring The Herald’s Higher Education Awards.
Now in their fifth year, the awards took place on June 5, at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza and recognised the outstanding achievements of the country’s colleges and universities, with the top honour of Higher Educational Institution of the Year being won by University of Dundee.
Another benefit of the CGI-Herald partnership was CGI’s sponsorship of a new ‘open access’ project to provide subscription-free access to heraldscotland.com across every single higher educational establishment in Scotland.
It means any student or staff member who logs on to heraldscotland.com while connected to their campus wifi can read its content free of charge – instead of paying The Herald’s standard £70 annual subscription access fee.
This initiative was praised by Scotland’s Minister for Public Finance and the Digital Economy Kate Forbes, who said at its launch at the City of Glasgow College: “Access to information, knowledge, fact and truth is more pressing than ever before. With this initiative, they can provide that access to students and employees which will hopefully set good habits for years to come.”
The project was made possible by IT company JISC, which provides digital solutions for the UK education and research sector.
Attending the launch with Kate Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of The Herald, Donald Martin, Senior Vice-President of CGI in Scotland, Steve Smart, said: “In the digital world we live in, having instant access to up to date news and information is vital, so being involved in providing this for students and academia across Scotland is something that CGI is very pleased to support.”
CGI’s dedication to STEM from childhood is also present in its STEM Camps and Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. Staff also regularly volunteer to visit pupils and promote career opportunities at local schools and colleges, and the firm has also established an apprenticeships scheme that provides both men and women with an equal path into the IT industry.
Together with CGI’s work in Glasgow and the Borders, providing iPads for pupils across primary and secondary schools, the future for digital learning in Scotland looks prosperous.
