Women and youths targeted in new ICT recruitment drive
Women and youths targeted in new ICT recruitment drive
The inaugural partICipaTion summit, which will look at ways to encourage more women and young people into Australia's information and communications technology sector, is set to take plane in Sydney tomorrow (Sep 22).
Over 70 senior representatives from industry, including major users of ICT, the educationsector and government are attending the summit, which will be hosted by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator HelenCoonan,
"This is the first time that a national summit has brought together so many of the key players to discuss the critical issues affecting participation in the ICT profession by women, as well as by younger people," said Coonan.
The summit has been planned by the advisory group of senior women involved in the ICT sector that were appointed by Coonan back in March this year.
“ICT is an essential tool for improving productivity throughout the economy and forenabling Australia to address key national challenges such as improved education, health,security and the environment," said Coonan. "But Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show women comprise only one fifth of the ICT workforce and that, in recent years, the proportion of women studying computer science has been around 25 percent and declining.
“In coming years Australia will be dealing with an ageing population and a smaller pool of young adults entering the workforce, so the ICT profession must ensure that it is attracting Generation Y women and men into the profession.”
Summit participants will look at how to break down a range of barriers to increasedparticipation. These include the perceptions of the ICT profession, the nature of the ICTwork environment, and ICT education and career advice.
In addition, the Australian Telework Advisory Committee (ATAC) is tackling barriers and drivers to the uptake of flexible work arrangements through teleworking in Australia.
The Sensis survey, Teleworking Insights Report, will be released at the summit, providing data on the experiences of both small-to-medium businesses and consumers onteleworking. The ATAC is due to report to the Australian Government in February 2006.
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