ALMOST 100 young women from schools across North Wales attended a major event at Coleg Cambria exploring careers in cyber security, AI and digital innovation – more than double the number who attended last year.
Year 9 and Year 10 learners gathered at the college’s Yale site in Wrexham for a day of hands-on workshops and industry talks designed to encourage more girls to pursue careers in technology.
The event welcomed pupils from Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Ruthin, The Maelor School, Ysgol Clywedog, St Joseph’s High School and Castell Alun High School in Wrexham, and Ysgol y Creuddyn in Penrhyn Bay.
Delivered in partnership with the University of South Wales, Swansea University and CyberFirst Wales, the day brought together employers including AMRC Cymru, Toyota, and So-Me, who led sessions covering cyber security, coding, AI and digital manufacturing.
This event forms part of the Empower 2026: Year 10 Girls into Tech series, a Wales-wide programme from CyberFirst Wales helping more girls explore future careers in technology.
Holly Lidbury, who leads CyberFirst Wales, said: “We’ve now welcomed almost 800 girls across five events in Wales. This has been another fantastic day and we’re seeing more young women discovering the opportunities available in technology than ever before.”
Learners tackled cryptography and networking exercises while hearing first-hand from women working in cyber resilience and national security.
The event builds on Coleg Cambria’s reputation in digital education, having recently introduced its AI Pledge and achieved the CyberFirst Gold Award with the National Cyber Security Centre.
Nigel Holloway, Head of AI and Digital Innovation at Coleg Cambria, said: “We want to encourage more young girls into these sectors, inspiring them to choose courses, careers, apprenticeships and jobs in technology.
“While cyber and tech have traditionally lacked diversity, the future of innovation depends on changing that. We need more girls entering these fields not just to participate, but to plug vital skills gaps, lead technical breakthroughs, and build the secure systems of tomorrow.
“We’ve been running these events for several years and this was the largest cohort we’ve ever welcomed, more than double the number from last year. It was also the first year we have hosted as the North Wales CyberFirst lead, so it was a privilege to welcome everyone, and we’re delighted with how it has gone.
“It further strengthens our relationship with schools across the region in such an important area and gives learners the opportunity to see the exciting career pathways available, from school to Coleg Cambria and then onto university, apprenticeships and careers in cyber security, web design, AI and many other digital industries.”
A key talk came from Imogen Firmstone, a former senior UK diplomat who spent more than two decades with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, leading international work to counter cyber threats. She walked learners through a realistic cyberattack scenario, showing how organisations respond to major incidents.
Imogen said: “I spent the last 10 years working with the UK Government and spoke to the learners about my different experiences, running a cyber team and countering cyber threats.
“We looked at a scenario based on a large company being hacked, how to manage a crisis and the different skills needed across a cyber team. They really seemed to enjoy it, engaged throughout and gave a very positive response.”
St Joseph’s High School in Wrexham brought 19 Year 10 learners.
IT teacher Catrin Edwards said: “It’s really encouraging to see initiatives like this helping get more girls interested in technology.
“We really welcome this kind of event and campaign. They’ve thoroughly enjoyed the activities and talks and it’s so useful because technology is advancing so quickly. It’s a subject area that’s constantly evolving and opening up new opportunities.”
