A Woman’s Touch in the IT World

25 Apr

Let’s face it; there are few women currently claiming the spotlight in the technology industry, but that’s all changing. With a wealth of programs and training opportunities now more available than ever before, it’s becoming obvious that young girls are being provided with every opportunity to break barriers in the tech world…and they have massive support behind them.

Here’s one for the girls!

Reshma Saujani, who is now the CEO of “Girls Who Code”, had recently discovered that only 18% of women actually major in IT in the USA. Reshma set in motion sponsorships with leading IT companies to provide girls in the USA with summer camps, to teach them how to code. In fact, over 40 000 young girls have attended these camps and have since shown interest in majoring in, and following a career in the IT field. Now, that’s a big turn around since the 7 000 women who graduated in computer science just last year.

The coding skills taught at these camps have already resulted in several positive-change applications being developed that are worthy of local and global recognition. Big things seem to be in store for those who participate in the Girls who Code summer camps!

Shining a light on women in IT who are creating solutions

Another great IT initiative, called “Shine the Light”, focuses on women doing great things in the field. This platform encourages people to shine a light on any woman anywhere in the world who is pushing boundaries in the tech world.

Deloitte Global predicted in 2016 that “fewer than 25% of IT jobs in developed countries will be held by women by the end of 2016”, and it stands to reason that stats in SA read much the same in terms of women in the IT field. There is a clear gap in the technology market where women seem to shy away from the prospect of making a change using technology or being part of developing it. There’s a new demand for young women to enter the market and the opportunities are most certainly beginning to emerge.

Do you know any women who are making great achievements in the IT field? Do you know of any training initiatives aimed at helping women to get into the field of IT? Let us know! We’d love to share and pass on the news!

Comments are closed.