Shifting gender stereotypes: ten years of Girls Rock-IT
Ten years in the past, Cisco Networking Academy launched the Girls Rock-IT initiative within the APJC area to assist handle the gender imbalance within the tech business.
This system was designed to indicate younger girls that there’s a future for them in tech, with actions together with Be taught-A-Thons, volunteer occasions, and reside digital broadcasts that includes distinguished girls in IT who may function inspiring role-models for Girls Rock-IT contributors. Throughout this time, Girls Rock-IT has hosted 82 broadcast occasions with 141 audio system, seen by over 2 million viewers, leading to 868,481 course registrations.
Present LinkedIn knowledge suggests girls compromise simply 29.2% of all Science Expertise Engineering Math (STEM) employees. As a result of this underrepresentation of ladies within the STEM workforce as we speak reinforces an underrepresentation sooner or later, it’s critical we handle this difficulty.
At Cisco our company goal is to energy an inclusive future for all, and addressing a gender imbalance in STEM is an integral a part of that.
Attracting girls to tech
I’m thrilled to report that efforts like Girls Rock-IT are paying off. Over the previous ten years, we’ve elevated the presence of ladies and women in Cisco Networking Academy programs from 20 p.c to 27 p.c, globally. Clearly, we now have additional to go, however a 35 p.c improve in participation of ladies in this system is a major achievement that speaks volumes about our collective dedication.
Large points
Yearly for the reason that inception of Girls Rock-IT in 2013, girls on the chopping fringe of technological innovation discuss their expertise within the subject. Individuals acquire helpful insights about how girls can thrive in what continues to be too ceaselessly seen as a male area.
From its first regional APJC speaker Monica Morrow who, on the time, was the area’s Chief Technical Officer and spoke about having a seat on the desk, to final 12 months’s inspiring world panel broadcasting on efficiently making use of expertise to local weather tech challenges, Girls Rock-IT contributors get to listen to from those that have solid significant careers in tech, addressing urgent problems with the day.
Women in ICT Day: a marquee Girls Rock-IT occasion
The annual marquee occasion of Girls Rock-IT aligns with Worldwide Women in ICT Day. This 12 months, the Girls Rock-IT program addressed Synthetic Intelligence (AI), which has the potential to alter all the things, together with its inherent moral challenges.
AI is ready to alter the world, and tomorrow’s IT workforce must be AI-literate. In our Q2 FY24 Cisco Networking Academy Scholar Consequence Survey of 1,400 college students, 63 p.c of Cisco Networking Academy college students inform us they’re utilizing AI as we speak and 17 p.c have already got superior abilities on this space.
We’re proud our college students are at the forefront of expertise studying. Actually, 88 p.c of our college students imagine Cisco Networking Academy is on the forefront of this quickly evolving tech world.
Our latest Cisco Networking Academy pupil survey reveals that 53 p.c of males are already harnessing AI at work, in comparison with simply 44 p.c of females, however that extra girls than males are longing for AI schooling.
Women in ICT Actions
This 12 months’s Women in ICT Day on April 25 impacted 36,025 college students reached by way of the reside broadcast, International Be taught-A-Thon, and Cisco worker volunteer occasions, with 1.23 million attain on social media channels.
Congratulations to the Girls Rock-IT workforce and Cisco volunteers for orchestrating a really impactful Women in ICT Day occasion. It was an inspiring showcase that highlighted our dedication to fostering variety within the tech business.
Inspiring audio system
For our reside broadcast, main girls in AI shared their expertise within the subject.
Dr. Tanya Berger-Wolf mentioned her work as a computational ecologist working on the distinctive intersection of pc science, wildlife biology, and social sciences. Tanya is Director of the Translational Knowledge Analytics Institute and Professor of Pc Science Engineering, Electrical and Pc Engineering, in addition to Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology on the Ohio State College.
Dr. Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly, Assistant Professor on the College of Michigan explored the affect of AI on society. She mentioned moral issues of AI and advocates for accountable AI improvement to mitigate dangers and guarantee useful outcomes for all.
International Be taught-A-Thon
This 12 months, the International Be taught-A-Thon noticed college students team-up to take introductory programs in Knowledge Science or Cybersecurity, with a digital badge awarded to these attaining 70 p.c or extra on their examination and a Cisco Be taught-A-Thon expertise digital badge.
“I’m actually impressed by Girls Rock-IT,” says attendee Thendeka Zesuliwe Zikode from rural Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. “My want is to review extra and get full help in expertise and AI, in order that I can assist different women round my ’hood.”
Cisco occasions
Over 230 Cisco volunteers organized occasions in Cisco workplaces and faculties worldwide this 12 months. Attendees had been in a position to meet girls working for Cisco and discuss to them about their expertise in tech.
Get entangled
Lastly, I’d prefer to take this chance to thank all of the Cisco staff, Academy companions and instructors, and our audio system for getting behind Women in ICT. The affect this makes wouldn’t be doable with out you.
Be taught how one can get entangled in 2025
Share:
