Research by MYOB has revealed 75 per cent of women surveyed believe jobs of the future will require more Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills, yet the majority are ill-prepared for this event.
The Women in STEM research showed 50 per cent of Australians believe women’s lack of STEM skills will also impact the gender wage gap, causing women to fall further behind their male counterparts. Despite this belief, only 14 per cent of people plan to up skill in STEM.
Currently, only 16 per cent of Australia’STEM-qualifieded workers are women and the research suggests this gap could widen unless something is done.
In response, MYOB has announced it will host two free coding classes for women, run by Coder Academy in Melbourne and Sydney. The coding classes follow on from MYOB’s earlier commitment to women in STEM, with the developer program, a scholarship for women from other career backgrounds, or returning to work, to venture into a career in technology.
The developher program is one part of MYOB’s “Future Makers Academy” and reflects its commitment to contributing to the pipeline of future engineering talent. In addition, MYOB is initiating work with schools in the local area to encourage young women to consider STEM subjects when they are making academic choices.
Chief Employee Experience Officer, Helen Lea, said it was vital to increase women’s involvement in STEM fields and embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce.
“In the future, there will be more focus on jobs in technology and technology will play an increasing part in all roles. At MYOB we’re committed to creating an environment where all of our employees can thrive, and we pride ourselves on our inclusive workplace,” Lea said.
“Having a diverse workforce skilled to deliver on our purpose of “helping businesses succeed” is critical to our future success. Within this, we are particularly committed to increasing the representation of women in our organization, in leadership and in technology roles in particular.”
The free coding classes will take place in Melbourne and Sydney on 23rd Oct Melbourne MYOB Office 167 Cremorne St, Richmond 3121 and 25th Oct Sydney Coder Academy Level 2, 7 Kelly St, Ultimo 2007.
Places are limited, to register go to: https://coderacademy.edu.au/learn-to-code/creative-coding-for-women-myob
Image: participants from the Future Makers Academy (supplied).
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