Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


New Programs Aim to Help Girls, Women Pursue Careers in Tech

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/14/19

A new award will help an organization dedicated to training females in technical fields reach a greater audience. The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) recently received a $4.1 million grant from the Cognizant U.S. Foundation, a nonprofit that supports STEM education and skills initiatives for U.S. workers and students. NCWIT is an alliance of 1,100 universities, companies, nonprofits and government organizations working to increase the participation of girls and women in computing. Cognizant, the international company behind the foundation, sells technical and digital transformation consulting and services.

NCWIT said the funding will be dedicated to setting up digital skills education programs and an "awareness campaign" to spark interest among females of all ages in going after careers in technology. The organization will set up coding skills camps for girls and women and developing training programs for school counselors in underserved areas. The initial focus will be on the south and southeast, particularly in those communities that are near corporate job and internship opportunities and where existing training partners exist. Job placement will also be a part of the programming, as will participation from Cognizant's own workforce as mentors.

The nonprofit projected that by the end of 2019, the new programs will "directly benefit" 2,243 girls and women; by 2021, the training network will reach 13,000.

"As of 2017, women held only 26 percent of professional computing occupations in the United States," said NCWIT Co-founder and CEO Lucy Sanders, in a statement. "To close this gap and fill an estimated 3.5 million computing-related job openings expected by 2026, we must make computing education accessible to all and attract diverse talent to the discipline. In doing so, a vast population with growing needs for technological products and services will be more equally represented in the innovation process."

Sanders added that the new award will better equip the organization to "extend our reach and create sustained change at the local level."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Blue digital wireframe classical building structure

    Before AI, Fix Your Data

    Institutions don't have to solve every data problem before they can begin using AI responsibly. But they do need to treat information as a strategic asset — not a byproduct of operations — and start building toward AI-ready data now.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • digital partnership handshake with glowing network effect

    Microsoft and OpenAI Rework Alliance, Loosening Exclusive Ties

    Microsoft and OpenAI have adjusted the terms of their high-profile partnership, signaling a shift in how the two companies will collaborate as competition in the AI market intensifies.

  • cyber security padlock

    AI Adoption Forces Trade-Off Between Speed and Identity Security, Study Finds

    AI adoption is forcing enterprises to trade security for speed — and identity controls are the first casualty, according to a new report from Delinea, a provider of identity security solutions for both human and AI agent identities.