“If you had told me a few weeks ago that I’d be seriously considering a future in tech, I probably would have laughed, flipped my short hair, and gone back to minding my own creative business. But here we are,” says Fortunate, one of five teenage girls who recently completed a two-week placement at Hostelworld through the Teen-Turn programme.
Teen-Turn, an Irish charity, works to increase female participation in STEM by giving teenage girls from underserved communities practical, hands-on industry experience. Known as “Teenturnships,” these short placements pair participants directly with professionals in the field.
“The Teen-Turn and Hostelworld collaboration is seeing young women from underserved communities gaining the confidence, career insights, and skills needed to participate in the knowledge economy. The experience for the girls is particularly impactful because, as an Irish-founded company changing its industry through technology, they learn first-hand the potential of homegrown innovation in global business,” explains Joanne Dolan, Co-Founder of Teen-Turn.
While many of their peers were binge-watching the new Wednesday season or planning summer festivals, Fortunate, Lanyan, Sabah, Sania, and Janice spent their days in Hostelworld’s sunlit Dublin office. Their schedule was packed: machine-learning workshops, analytics sessions, meetings with just about every department — from finance to the data science team — and even a company-wide meeting with 200 employees joining from around the world.
“Standing in front of the entire company, even virtually, was definitely nerve-wracking,” says Sania. “My heart was racing, but as soon as I started speaking, I realised it was an incredible opportunity to put myself out there. This moment reminded me how important it is to project confidence even when you’re feeling nervous.”
Between training, there were also glimpses of office life — coffee runs, the unspoken competition for the best desk, and lunches by the Grand Canal. By the final afternoon, the five teenagers were presenting their projects, reflecting on the skills they had learned and the confidence they had gained.
“Hostelworld wasn’t just a workplace these past two weeks — it was a place where I laughed, learned, drank far too many lattes, and met people who genuinely cared about what I had to say,” says Fortunate.
Barry McCabe, Hostelworld’s Chief People Officer, says the benefits flow both ways:
“This is our third year partnering with Teen-Turn, and the benefits to both Hostelworld and the students continue to grow. Over two weeks, they explored roles across the business, building confidence and discovering new career paths. Their questions encouraged us to reflect on how we work and communicate. The programme is a great reminder of the value in opening up our workplaces and learning from the diverse perspectives of those just starting out.”
For Ireland, still grappling with a shortage of women in STEM despite tech’s explosive growth, Teenturnships offer more than skills. They chip away at systemic barriers, giving participants the confidence and experience to pursue careers that will shape the country’s future workforce.
