The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) reported last month that in 2015, while 57 percent of all professional occupations in the U.S. were held by women, women held only 25 percent of professional computing occupations and just 17 percent of Fortune 500 Chief Information Officer positions.
This week is International Girls in ICT Day, a global initiative of the ITU, a specialized agency of the United Nations, which is focused on issues concerning information and communication technologies (ICTs). Girls in ICT Day aims to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICTs. Last year, more than 66,000 girls took part in over 1,800 celebrations of Girls in ICT Day in over 130 countries worldwide. This year even more are expected to participate.
I’m a big proponent of STEM education, as is my employer Neustar. We see time and time again with our EverFi partnership that by educating young students at an early age we are opening up their minds to a wholly different world and future. Through our partnership we inform middle school students on both the “nuts and bolts” of how technology works, while also placing them in virtual environments to tackle issues including privacy, security, cyber-bullying, and digital relationships.
At Neustar, I am privileged to work with a team of incredibly smart, talented, and inspiring colleagues, many of whom are women. Starting at the very top with our CEO, Lisa Hook; our CMO, Lisa Joy Rosner; our Chief Privacy Officer, Becky Burr; and our Global Director of Channel Sales, Crystal Peterson. Neustar walks the talk when it comes to embracing diversity and recognizing the great contribution that women make in the workplace, and I am privileged to be able to geek out with these incredible professionals on a daily basis.
As Neustar continues to grow, our need for women leaders who have STEM degrees will certainly not diminish. For this reason, our commitment to working with educators, governments, and non-profits to improve and expand STEM education remains a significant priority for us. We have several initiatives and programs to help us raise awareness for and to close the STEM skills gap. We hope that our efforts will help to inspire the next generation of girls and young women to go on to become scientists, engineers, computer programmers — and perhaps even Registry operators!
In celebration of Girls in ICT Day, we challenge you to consider what your organization can do right now to encourage more diversity in the workplace, and to inspire more girls and young women to consider educations and careers in information and communication technologies.
Embracing diversity is not only good for young women — it’s also good for your business. Just ask our CEO! #WomeninTech
Written by Lori Anne Wardi, Vice President at Neustar, Inc.Follow CircleID on TwitterMore under: Policy & Regulation, Web
The post We NEED More Young Women to Consider Careers in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) appeared first on iGoldRush Domain News and Resources.
Source: domainers mag
We NEED More Young Women to Consider Careers in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs)
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