A sobering fact: the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2018 there will be 1.4 million open technology jobs in the United States and, at the current rate of students graduating with degrees in computer science, only 61% of those openings will be filled—and just 29% of applicants will be women. The need is all the more critical when you realize that the latest advances in improving healthcare, protecting the environment, and upgrading manufacturing have come from technological innovations.
Microsoft Research believes that in order to build the most innovative technology solutions that solve the world’s toughest problems, we need to ensure our research and development teams are diverse enough to anticipate, respond, and serve the needs of the changing marketplace.
On May 5th, WISE CLT will address the gender gap with an executive panel Bridging the Gap discussion on important trends and success stories helping to bridge the gap in information technology. Executives representing Ally Bank, Bank of America, KPMG will make up the panel along with a national award winning student from UNC Charlotte College of Computing & Informatics.
For the eighth year, WISE CLT will honor young women in NC high schools for their computing – related achievements and interests with the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing at the May 5th event.
IT-oLogy is actively addressing the gender gap challenge as an Affiliate of the National Center of Women & IT (NCWIT) with a focus on the Aspirations in Computing program. The program builds a talent pool for the growing technical workforce and helps academic and corporate organizations celebrate diversity in computing by honoring young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests. Celebrate the Charlotte regional award recipients who were selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing; leadership ability; academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.
For event information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Kay Read, [email protected]. You can register here.