IN PROFILE
Juliette ( Jules ) Pearson BEM
Digital Academy Deputy Head , MoD Corsham
Jules Pearson was recognised in the 2023 New Year Honours List for her service to defence and to the community in Wiltshire . She has been awarded a British Empire Medal ( BEM ) for her work as Lead of Digital Academy Services for the Ministry of Defence ( MoD ).
We met with Jules to find out more about her background , life as a woman in IT and her top tips to inspire other women and girls into the tech industry .
What ’ s your career story ? I have worked in the MoD for the last 32 years . I started as an accountant with a deep interest in systems accounting . After a few years I wanted to do more in the IT space , so I switched to IT project management . I ’ ve been a risk manager , programme manager , business analyst and data analyst . I ’ m currently a service owner . I ’ ve always looked for the next opportunity and class myself as a lifelong learner , if I need to learn something , I invest fully into it . I have more qualifications than you can shake a stick at !
What does your role as Lead of Digital Academy Services entail ?
The Digital Academy provides learning and development opportunities to everyone in defence .
We have a range of products and services which include : learning and development platforms ; coding schemes ; aptitude and ability testing ; digital and data buddy networks ; digital communities ; Defence hackathons , digital experiences and an essential Digital Skills programme .
We cater for someone at the start of their digital skills journey , all the way up to digital professionals , for example , software developers , cyber analysts , data analysts etc . There is a digital skills shortage in the UK , so what better way than to grow those skills internally ?
“ 15 years ago , I was one of just three women in a tech team of about 120 people . Things have changed a bit since then , but it ' s still not good enough ”
Tell us more about the work that led to you being nominated for the British Empire Medal
You never know the detail of the citation in the nomination , however , a recent letter to me from the Chief of Defence People revealed that in addition to the Digital Academy Services I provide , the work I do as an ambassador with Parkrun was also recognised . There was a specific mention of collaboration with prison officers to establish a weekly Parkrun event within the grounds of a local prison .
Parkrun at secure events helps to promote an active lifestyle and supports integration into the community . There are currently 1,162 Parkrun events in the UK and when the prisoners are released , they know there will be an event that they are familiar with nearby and one that they will be welcome to attend .
How are you celebrating this momentous achievement ?
I have a great team that have worked hard to make the Digital Academy a success . We haven ’ t decided how to celebrate but rest assured we will do ! There is a ceremony in early April when I will receive the medal .
“ We need to do more to encourage girls of school age to get coding so that the workforce of the future is more diverse ”
How unusual is it to be a woman in tech working in the MoD ?
15 years ago , I was one of just three women in a tech team of about 120 people . Things have changed a bit since then , but it ’ s still not good enough . We ’ re in the process of setting up a ' women in tech ' community to encourage more women into digital roles . We need to do more to encourage girls of school age to get into coding so that the workforce of the future is more diverse . Women bring a unique set of skills , perspectives and experiences to the table . This can lead to fresh ideas and innovative products .
What would be your top tip to inspire other women into the tech industry ?
Dip your toe in the water . If you ’ ve never tried coding , give it a go . There are lots of digital roles that don ’ t require you to have a deep technical knowledge . If you like tinkering with code and solving puzzles , why not try some free cyber related gamified learning ? Ideas include , jeopardy-style Capture the Flag , Hack The Box , TryHackMe or picoCTF . You will never unlock your full digital potential if you don ’ t experiment !
If The Business Exchange could help you share one message , what would it be ?
A career in tech can be so rewarding . Try something new , don ’ t be afraid if it doesn ’ t work out . There are so many roles out there , one of them will be a good fit !
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