Filling the pipeline
There is a worldwide shortage of technical talent and women are under-represented in the IT industry, making up only a fifth of Australia's IT professionals. Recent studies in Australia show that girls are more inclined than boys to see IT as boring or difficult, resulting in more boys than girls studying technology related subjects.
But it's important that girls understand they can have interesting and challenging careers in the IT industry. Many women are recognising that IT can take them into commercially focused careers, where strengths in business or creativity will give them an advantage. While women are equal users of technology, their current under-representation in the industry means they are not making an equal contribution to technological advancement.
This is an area that IBM is actively working to change. IBM's Women in Technology initiatives include some exciting school and university outreach programs aimed at 'filling the pipeline' with more potential female technologists and IT professionals.
School Speakers Programs
IBM promotes careers in IT and engineering to female high school students by sponsoring and participating in School Speakers Programs at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, the University of Technology in Sydney, WIT NZ & WIT QLD.
Teams of female IBM employees and university students visit schools across Australia and New Zealand to demystify study and career opportunities in IT and engineering, and to open up choices for females. The program reaches approximately 3,000 high school girls every year.
The 2003 School Speakers Program was expanded to cover the regional areas of Bathurst and Orange in country NSW. This was a joint effort by IBM and University of Technology, Sydney. This visit was a great success with 150 students from years 9 - 12, spoken to at three high schools. Students were shown that IT and engineering is not about sitting at a desk knowing the internal workings of a computer, but that there are many diverse and interesting career opportunities open for women with the skills and enthusiasm.
Go Girl, Go For IT!
The Go Girl, Go For IT Careers Showcase program started at Melbourne's Monash University in 2000 as a way of encouraging more school-aged girl to take up IT. With only 15% of IT undergraduates being female, it is important to IBM to enhance young women's perceptions of a career in IT and their prospects within IT and related technology industries. The event aims to demonstrate to students and teachers that IT is an exciting, rewarding and positive career option for Australian females.
Of the first event in 2000, over 1,700 school-aged girls attended. By the end of the event, 91% of girls who attended said they would consider a career in IT. The message at the event was that an IT career is fun, flexible, and it provides independence to work anywhere in the world. Information, activities, free sample bags and advice was provided from women in diverse technology-related fields.
Subsequently, IBM has sponsored the Go Girl, Go For IT Careers Showcase at Murdoch University in Perth (2001) where similar numbers of girls attended. IBM now plans to sponsor a second Go Girl, Go For IT event at Murdoch University to be held on 29-30 March 2004. Over 2,000 school girls from Years 8 -11, their teachers and career advisers are expected to attend the event next year in Perth. For further information please contact Madeleine Sanders (internal article) or visit http://www.gogirlwa.org.au.
EXITE
IBM A/NZ runs week-long camps in Australia called EXITE (EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering). They are designed to encourage young women aged between 13 and 15 years, to study and pursue careers in IT. The camps provide young women with access to a panel of leading women at IBM and from across the IT industry. During the week, participants learn about new technology like the wearable computer, virtual design and speech recognition. Working as teams, they also design and build their own websites.
The ultimate goal of the IBM EXITE camps, held at 30 locations worldwide, is to increase the number of women in information technology. These young women are provided with positive role models and hands-on experience in technology with the hope that the camps spark their interest and encourage them to pursue careers in technical fields.
Camps have been held in NSW, VIC and QLD to date.
Technology Can Take You Anywhere
Technology Can Take You Anywhere is a joint initiative of Women in Technology (WIT) and Girls Into Doing Great Information Technology Stuff (GIDGITS). The program is a one-day event aimed at increasing the numbers of young women participating in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Biotechnology industries. The event attracts in excess of 1300 students and teachers.
The event provides students from Years 6 to 12 with access to:
- Interactive Workshops
- Career and Study Guidance
- Real world role models
IBM’s Gold Coast Lab School Initiative
As a global organization, IBM is committed to recruiting, retaining, and promoting the best female staff available, to ensure women remain critical to IBM's business success.
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Spotlight on technical women in IBM A/NZ 
