Shadow Human Affairs Minister Rolfe Commissiong has emphasised the need to encourage more black and female Bermudians to pursue careers in technology.

Mr Commissiong said he was “pleasantly surprised” at the number of blacks and females who attended the recent Hackathon, organised locally to educate young people into careers involving coding and programming, but said that more needs to be done.

He mentioned a recent article printed in the New York Times about computer giant Intel allocating $300 million towards diversifying its workforce which is currently made up predominantly by white and Asian men.

Mr Commissiong, who attended the Hackathon held earlier this month at the XL Group, said: “When I got to the event it was so gratifying — I was pleasantly surprised as I had raised a concern about the real diversity within the tech industry more broadly, particularly on this side of the world.

“It’s not a secret that persons of colour, blacks, women and Latinos are underrepresented within that industry which has largely been dominated by white males and Asians over the last quarter of a century.

“We have a challenge in Bermuda to encourage STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among Bermudians in general but particularly among those pockets of our population who have been underrepresented. I think that is a great story in Bermuda to see that this generation is really interested in learning how to code and programme.

“It is going to be very critical for Bermuda’s global competitiveness that we produce ever-growing numbers of workers in the economy who are proficient in STEM–based learning and careers.

“That, in and of itself, provides a competitive advantage one in attracting good companies to consider your locale and even in the area of producing individuals who have the necessary skills that they can then translate into entrepreneurial activities and enterprises that can create jobs in Bermuda.

“Intel has always been an industry leader — along with Google, Apple and Oracle. I anticipate that with Intel making this commitment and taking the lead to ensure that those companies look more like, in this case, America, more will follow.”

Mr Commissiong, again, commended the organisers of the Hackathon, Code441, for bringing the event to Bermuda, in particular Jahde Eve who led the workshop.

He mentioned Damion Wilson, one of the first black Bermudians to get involved with the tech world back in the 1980s and who attended the Hackthon.

“He really opened my eyes to the fact that while this may have great commercial potential down the line for young Bermudians and Bermuda in general,” said Mr Commissiong.

“At this stage what we want to convey to these kids is that coding and programming is more like creativity — it’s like creating art. That’s the way they need to approach it. It is ultimately a creative exercise."