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Gender Equity in High Tech Careers
A Challenge for State Educators


Getting girls to become interested in nontraditional career paths requiring high technology skills is a challenge for many educators. Getting them to stay in advanced level math, science and technology courses that will lead them to opportunities in technology can be an even greater challenge.

Women in Technology

Educators learned about ways to attract and retain
female students at a recent workshop on Women in Technology.

 

To help teachers address these issues, CBIA sponsored a two-day train-the- trainer workshop, entitled “Women in Technology: Preparing Women for High Skill, High Wage Careers.” The workshop was conducted by gender equity specialist Donna Milgram, Executive Director of the National institute for Women in Trades. A national spokesperson on the subject of gender equity, Ms. Milgram has trained in 42 states and has testified before Congress on gender equity to the US Dept. of Labor.

She also took a leadership role in Cisco’s Gender Initiative designed to increase the number of females in Cisco Networking academy programs.

 

More than 40 teachers statewide attended the workshop held at Tunxis Community College. Teachers represented comprehensive and technical high schools, in addition to community college math, science and technology professors. Participants received a video and complete curriculum package. Discussions centered on developing recruitment strategies, the classroom environment, interventions that work, mentoring, identifying female role models, retention strategies, case studies, training tips, and overcoming resistance.

 

This was a fabulous seminar, said Connie Schlosser, a teacher from Ella Grasso Technical High School. “ I am already working spreading the word to our local middle schools to get the training to them. Very hands on, very pragmatic, very useful!!!!”

 

The workshop was funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program. For more information about this program, contact Mary deManbey at CBIA, demanbem@cbia.com.