Outreach
The Future
Women are I.T.
Jan Bryson
Women
are I.T. www.witwomen.org.au is an
organisation providing a framework upon which women in Information Technology
can extend their network and expand their knowledge in an environment that
encourages open conversation and debate. We want to encourage women to choose
I.T. as a career and raise the status of women in Australian business, in the
I.T. industry in particular. Since 1997, the Australia-wide group,
headquartered in Melbourne, has held regular events in Melbourne, Perth,
Adelaide and Sydney.
Our principal aim is to learn from, support and encourage each other to leverage our skills as women, raise our comfort zone and achieve our career-goals. Over time, we envisage ourselves as an acknowledged body of influence, which raises the status of women in Australian business and in the I.T. industry in particular.
The WIT (WA) branch of Women are I.T., founded in 1999, has a membership of over 150 senior women in the West Australian Information, Communication and Technology industries. WIT (WA) hosts regular luncheons at the Royal Perth Yacht Club. We have a guest speaker and the focus is firmly on networking.
Acknowledging the lack of females both present in the industry or entering the industry, WIT adopted a national strategy to help young women better understand what opportunities there are for careers in Information Technology-related industries.
The “Go Girl, Go for I.T.” Careers Showcase, was launched in October 2001 at Monash University in Melbourne and has since been successfully run in Melbourne, Queensland and New South Wales and is about to run for the second time in Perth, Western Australia.
• The 2002 “Go Girl, Go for I.T.” Careers Showcase was held at Edith Cowan University with 1,400 female secondary school students from Western Australia attending. From the significant success and results from this event, the 2004 event was born.
• In 2002 the Go Girl Go for IT Career Showcase increased interest in ICT careers for attending female students from 33% to 75%.
In addition 89% of attendees indicated that the showcase had generated more positive feelings towards IT. [Go Girl Survey Analysis 2002]
With the significant support of the major sponsors and the Premier of Western Australia, Dr Geoff Gallop, MLA, as Patron for the second time, the “Go Girl, Go for I.T.” Careers Showcase 2004 www.gogirlwa.org.au will be held on March 29th and 30th at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia with 2,000 female students attending. The showcase, targeted directly at female secondary school students in Western Australia, is an ideal opportunity for students to gather first-hand information on the many careers in which technology is either utilised or engineered.
Within weeks of being announced, the event was fully pre-booked, pointing to the clear, strong need that is present for this type of showcase.
The Showcase will incorporate the most comprehensive career advice available using interactive presentations and more than 20 real life role models with active ICT careers. The event will cover all industries and educational institutions, including information on scholarships, traineeships and products that will assist schools, students and teachers to become more tech-aware. The 2004 showcase will demonstrate to the girls, and their teachers, that ICT is an exciting, rewarding and positive career option for Australian females. The showcase aims to dispel popular misconceptions about the nature of working in the ICT industries.