CompTIA has launched Dream IT, its worldwide initiative, in Australia and New Zealand to encourage women to participate in the IT industry. Primarily a male-dominated industry at all levels, ICT offers a diverse range of roles and challenges for everyone.
“The IT industry offers endless opportunities for women but it has been a challenge for our industry to get that message across to young people. Dream IT aims to address that challenge and introduce young women to the range of opportunities offered by technology careers,” says Karen Drewitt, General Manager at The Missing Link and CompTIA ANZ executive council member.
The Missing Link currently employs 14 female staff members. Alana Reynard, Senior Infrastructure Engineer, has over 10 years’ experience in the IT industry and holds more than 20 vendor specific certifications. She says, “I am driven by a thirst for knowledge, for my love of complex problems and for working in an industry that is on the cutting edge.”
Marketing Communications Manager, Cara Christofi says that since her entry into the industry twelve months ago it's been a continual learning process, "Whether I'm blogging about data centre virtualisation, drafting copy for a Cloud Computing infographic or reporting on industry news - I'm constantly amazed by the way technology shapes our lives and dictates the future of the way we work, live and connect with one another. It's an exciting industry to be a part of."
The Dream IT program is a global initiative of CompTIA’s Advancing Women in IT Community and was launched in the USA in 2014 and the UK in 2015. The community consists of both women and men. The Advancing Women in IT Community aims to empower women and girls with the know-how and skills they need to launch and grow their own IT careers, according to CompTIA.
As Karen says, “A greater number of women in IT will bring a balance of leadership styles and interpersonal skills to the IT workplace, and help alleviate the growing IT skills gap in Australia and New Zealand.”
You can read more about CompTIA and the initiative at https://www.comptia.org/
