IBM Partners with Girls Who Code to Build Women in Tech Pipeline
On Monday, we kicked-off of our summer immersion program with Girls Who Code – an amazing national non-profit organization that seeks to inspire, educate, and equip girls with computing skills for the 21st century!
IBM will host female high-school students in New York City for an intense, 7 week summer immersion program. These students will experience a robust curriculum of daily classroom instruction, workshops, demos, and talks by a team of remarkable female IBM leaders and more. We’re empowering these girls with hands-on training on the latest and greatest IBM Cloud has to offer! That means instruction on Bluemix, our premier PaaS solution, and a host of other Cloud technologies. They’ll receive more than 250 hours of superb training in a variety of computer science disciplines, including:
· Robotics
· Graphic design
· Mobile apps
· Data structures and algorithms
We’re also providing these girls with career advice, along with help developing their presentation skills, and inspiring their entrepreneurial pursuits. We’ve also lined up some technical experiences through field trips, including, a tour of Astor Place — home to some of our coolest IBM Cloud technologies.
This partnership demonstrates IBM's commitment to helping close the gender gap for women in technology. Currently, women hold 25% of jobs in technical fields. When deciding a college major, 0.3% of girls choose computer science.
We’re so excited to teach these young women using the latest tech from IBM Cloud -- especially Bluemix. Our goal is to enable women around the world across a variety of STEM fields and I can’t think of a greater first step than this partnership with the amazing people of Girls Who Code.
“The gender gap isn’t just a Silicon Valley issue anymore,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. “The shortage of women in technical roles, whether it’s retail or entertainment, is a massive crisis both in terms of innovation and socioeconomic equality throughout the United States. Girls Who Code has established a successful track record of empowering girls to pursue majors and careers in computer science, and we’re inspired that so many diverse companies have invested in taking our movement to the next level this year.” IBM hopes that along with Girls Who Code, we can see a reverse in this trend, and a move toward balance in the future.
In 2015, Girls Who Code will host 57 programs reaching close to 1,200 girls in nine cities nationwide throughout the summer, representing a significant increase from the 19 programs serving 375 girls in 2014. We’re proud to join this critical effort to close the gender gap in the computing and technology sector!
SXSW! Geek Girls Are Chic with Girls Who Code! Five Career Hacks on Sunday at 11AM CST!
Come on Sunday to see Geek Girls are Chic: 5 Career Hacks! We'll be in Ballroom A at the Austin Convention Center on Sunday, March 15th. Our session begins at 11:00AM Central. Visit this link to add our session to your SXSW schedule!
I'm so thrilled that I am sharing the stage during a SXSW featured session with one of my favorite organizations:
- Girls Who Code! Joining me will be Elizabeth Caudle, Director for Girls Who Code. Elizabeth's background is rich in STEM-type roles where she has been a supporter and leader of organizations dedicated to advancing educational opportunities around the globe!
During our session, Elizabeth and I will discuss women's participation in tech-related fields, why there are fewer women graduating with a technical degree, and why women are not rising in the tech ranks or startup businesses. We'll tackle these issues, as well as discuss how the tech industry can benefit from innovations from women. We'll discuss why more women need to take risks and embrace failure and build the courage the shatter the glass ceiling! We’ll also share with you 5 career hacks that can help you strategize your approach to grow your career!
Here’s a taste of what we’ll share with you:
- Doing your homework is a MOOC point
- Be an Open API
- Define your "ALL"
Watch my short video to get a taste of my session with Girls Who Code!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPi0gGDkFNI&w=560&h=315]
And after the session, be sure to join me at the SXSW Bookstore where I’ll be signing copies of my books. Come by, say “Hi!” and share your ideas with me! I promise, it'll be a lively debate!
Whether you are a woman or man, parent or business owner, this is a must-see session!
Happy International Women's Day!!! STEM jobs on the rise, but Women in STEM declining
STEM jobs are on the rise, in fact, there will be 1.4 million new computer science jobs by 2020.
- These new jobs pay better, 33% more than non-STEM positions.
- Women are the perfect candidates for these new jobs. Women hold a greater percentage of all bachelor’s degrees,
- Unfortunately, they also hold an increasingly smaller percentage of computer science degrees with just 18 percent in 2012 as compared to 37 percent in 1984.
- Women represent 48 percent of the workforce but only a quarter of STEM and IT careers.
- When women are in positions of leadership, there is a 35% higher return on equity and 34% better return to shareholders.
So let’s get some more women into the roles they can be qualified to fill.
At PBWC tomorrow, a group of Senior Women will continue the work to change the game. Tell me what you will do!!