August 16, 2022

Step UP 2022: BT Case Study with Andrea Seymour & Rita Uzoka

As part of Step Up, a six-month program for female students in their penultimate year of university, we offer participants access to skills development training, career events and mentorship. Working with our sponsoring businesses, BT, HSBC UK, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, we pair our students with mentors to work with them for six months. 

As we prepare for the Step Up program to open applications in August 2022, we’re catching up with our mentors and mentees to find out how the process benefited both parties. 

 BT Case Study with Andrea Seymour & Rita Uzoka 

Mentor: Andrea Seymour, Media & Broadcasting Resource Specialist at BT

Andrea has 26 incredible years of experience in the world of telecommunications and driving service but, more importantly, supporting and nurturing individuals to become leaders in their respective industries. 

Why did you choose to be a mentor in the Step Up program?

Why mentor now? I wanted to change someone’s world. Not every mentoring partnership is life-changing, but we see enough of it to know that every mentor has the potential to instigate surprising change. Second, I wanted to put my finger on the pulse of a young, dynamic generation. Different generations think and act so differently, and being a leader you need to understand the mindset of younger people, how they can benefit organisations, and how they become our future. The intimacy of a mentoring relationship offers a unique insight into these generational differences. The best opportunity I’ve had in a long time!

If you could summarise the Step Up program in three words, what would they be? 

Dedication, enthusiasm and futureproofing.

What was the highlight of the Step Up program for you?

Highlight for me was seeing my young lady develop into a strong, dynamic, inspiring soul. The graduation was a proud and touching day for me, knowing I had supported and hopefully guided the decision tree of life. I may have been a mentor, but now they are part of my family. 

Can you share your most impactful learning(s) from being a mentor? 

I was able to channel the positive me. From day one, we clicked and could share highs and lows (more lows from me). But, we quickly acknowledged strengths and weaknesses, using these to drive the plan forward. We explored many options, and I learnt so much about listening, not just thinking I was listening but listening and picking up those little nuggets to build on.

Mentee: Rita Uzoka 

Rita received her first Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree with a concentration in Electronics and Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Nigeria. At the time, fewer than 25% of female students were in her class, which would have been enough to dissuade any woman from continuing the course. However, Rita remained steadfast in pursuing a career in technology, passing exams for CCNA, CCNP and other international certificates. Since, Rita has worked in three firms, two internet service providers and one software as a service company. All Rita’s responsibilities were technically connected. Rita is currently pursuing an MSc. at the UK’s Sheffield Hallam University in big data analytics.

Did the Step Up program make you feel more empowered to progress in a career in tech? If so, how? 

I needed insight into a career in tech in the UK, and Step Up gave me that insight by pairing me with an incredible mentor at one of the top ISP (internet service provider) companies in the country (BT). My mentor Andrea answered all my questions in words and deeds, and she supported me even after the programme ended. She also showed me where I could be in the next five years, all things being equal, which further motivated me to advance in a tech career.

What was the highlight of the Step Up program for you?

In addition to being paired with a BT mentor, Step Up allowed me to meet recruiters from other companies, including HSBC UK, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and BT. These recruiters gave us information on how to apply for jobs at their organisations and what some job descriptions entail. Another highlight was the skills I learned from some guest speakers who spoke to us about time management, developing relationships, and stakeholder management.

Can you share your most impactful learnings?  

The lessons organised by Step Up and provided by my mentor were the ones that had the most significant impact on me.

They included: soft skills in time management, relationship building and stakeholder management, agile methodologies (scrum, kanban), use of jira, retrium and miro software, understanding of the BT culture, scrum calls, project management, and how to implement a PEW (Planned Engineering Works) in BT, BT YourSay System data analytics project. I attempted to make the most of the limited time to get a lot done; my mentor helped me because she recognised what I needed, understood the assignment, and tried to help me get it.

Have you received any new opportunities during or since completing the program? 

My mentor sent me some BT job adverts to apply for. Some companies have also approached me, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

If you’d like to learn more about sponsoring our 2023 Step Up program, empowering women in tech and investing in the next-gen of talent, get in touch with the team today on info@girlstalklondon.com.

If you’re keen to experience the mentorship of one of our valued partners, you can apply for the 2023 Step Up program here. We can’t wait to get started!