20 March 2009 The gap between males and females remains a live issue for those working in the UK IT professional workforce, according to research published jointly by BCS, e-skills UK and Intellect. The low uptake by females in IT at both Secondary and Higher Education levels directly impacts upon the proportion of females employed in today’s IT professional workforce. Currently females account for just one in five IT professionals.
In response to this problem BCS, e-skills UK and Intellect, in association with BERR, have produced the ‘Women in IT Scorecard’. Drawing statistics from a range of sources it forms a definitive evidence base for data and commentary, from females taking IT related qualifications, to being employed as part of the IT professional workforce. The work was undertaken to identify drivers of the gender imbalance, and to provide an agreed bank of data at a time when there are many voices in the debate.
BCS, with representatives from e-skills UK and Intellect will be holding a ‘Women in IT Away Day’ strategy meeting on the 26 and 27 March 2009 to discuss what actions can be taken to address the gender gap in the IT profession. The group is inviting industry professionals to respond to the discussion and will be Twittering all week in the lead up to the strategy meetings. You can join the debate by following the W-Tech or Intellect Twitter.
http://twitter.com/wtech2009 http://twitter.com/IntellectUK
Key findings from the scorecard include:
The full report is available to download from BCS, e-skills and Intellect websites. Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting, Stephen Carter, said: "We are delighted to offer our support to BCS, e-skills UK and Intellect in producing this scorecard. The recent interim Digital Britain report underlined the importance of the IT sector for business development and success in the 21st Century, but we will only fully benefit from becoming a digital nation when everyone has access to the right education, skills and media literacy programmes. He added: "22 million UK employees use IT every day and we need a skilled and diverse IT workforce to support them. There's more to be done to strengthen the ways business, education and government work together to nurture the IT leaders that business needs, and we will be working with the Sector Skills Councils to develop some action points for the final Digital Britain report." David Clarke, BCS chief executive said:
“The lower percentage of women in IT has concerned the BCS for some time and is an issue we are tackling along with our industry partners. At the 2008 BCS IT Industry Awards held in December, half of the winners in the individual excellence awards section were women computing professionals—in stark contrast to the proportion of women in the industry overall. As this proves, women are gaining a more visible foothold in the IT industry and we would encourage them to maintain a commitment to gaining qualifications to help stand them out in an already highly-skilled IT community, especially in difficult times.”
Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said:
“In the current economic downturn, the country is relying more than ever on the capability of the technology workforce to drive innovation and productivity. For the sector to be largely missing out on half the talent pool in this way is clearly a major concern. We find that many women are deterred from considering IT careers by misperceptions. As an industry, we need to do much more to promote the wide range of roles and skills we need. In particular, the types of roles that require a blend of business, interpersonal and technical skills are often appealing to women, and this is a skill set in great demand in the UK.”
Carrie Hartnell, programme manager, Intellect said:
“In the current economic climate businesses should be looking to maximise their productivity in any way possible. It may not be the first aspect of a business that springs to mind, but recent research from McKinsey has shown that a diverse workforce is a more productive workforce. Gender diversity in the workplace is not just about social equality. It’s also about making smart choices in a difficult economic environment and engaging with an essential pool of labour that is often overlooked.” Notes
About e-skills UK e-skills UK is the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology. e-skills UK unites industry, education and government to ensure the UK has the skills it needs to compete in the global economy and derive maximum business value from technology. Through collaborative, employer-led action, e-skills UK is inspiring future talent, supporting IT professionals, and promoting the benefits of technology to organisations and individuals in every sector. Find out more at www.e-skills.com
About Intellect Intellect is the UK trade association for the IT, telecoms and electronics industries. Its members account for over 80% of these markets and include blue-chip multinationals as well as early stage technology companies. These industries together generate around 10% of UK GDP and 15% of UK trade. For more information go to www.intellectuk.org
About BCS The British Computer Society (BCS) is the Chartered industry body for IT professionals, the Chartered Engineering Institution for Information Technology and a Chartered Science Institution. With our rapidly growing membership, BCS is playing an increasingly pivotal role in leading the development and implementation of world class standards for the IT profession through innovative products, services and support. Through our specific “Professionalism in IT” programme, BCS is leading and building IT professionalism to levels which are currently only seen in more traditional long standing professions such as law, medicine, and accountancy but which will increasingly become the de facto standards for IT professionals.
Download and find out more about the ‘Women in IT Scorecard’.
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