TechnologyOne has partnered with UNIQ YOU to increase the number of women in the tech industry by encouraging participation in these roles.
The Software-as-a-Service company TechnologyOne will partner with UNIQ YOU, a Queensland-based career advisory service that aims to connect 600 girls from 30 local schools with advisors working in industries such as tech, construction, mining, transport, agriculture, manufacturing, aviation, and utilities.
The companies say that women currently account for just 29% of those employed in technology in Australia, compared to 47.5% in similar jobs in the professional, scientific, and technical services industry.
The partnership will see TechnologyOne providing advisors to give high school students real-life experience and industry insights to inspire female participation in the technology sector.
TechnologyOne's People and Culture team executive vice president Maree Gallagher says it is crucial to develop a diverse pipeline of talent into the future.
“We know that a diverse workforce means a more sustainable, higher-achieving and productive workplace. It is key to our success not just as a company but as an industry,” Gallagher says.
“Connecting our digital leaders directly with high school students through UNIQ YOU will mean we are able to provide one-on-one guidance for a career pathway into technology.
“At TechnologyOne we create software for communities, so we believe our workforce should also be reflective of the communities we work with.
“If we are truly to become a leading technology nation, we need to bring the whole of our population with us, by making sure we are giving every person the opportunity to reach their career potential.
As part of the partnership, UNIQ YOU will also be assisting TechnologyOne in identifying key regions and priorities to ensure engagement across a range of demographics.
“We recognise there are also other areas of diversity and inclusion that are a priority for our organisation, so we want to provide this opportunity to girls of all backgrounds and encourage early interest in the tech industry,” Gallagher adds.
UNIQ YOU's CEO, Tanya Meessmann, says the program allows female students to explore different pathways in a typically male-dominated field through one-on-one advisory calls.
“If we want to see true gender equality in all workforces within our lifetime, we need to look at how we can expand the number of women in industries where they are underrepresented,” Meessmann says.
“Careers fairs and one-off events that cater to 30 or 60 or even 100 young women are not going to be remotely enough.
“We need a way to connect with and encourage hundreds or even thousands of young women into these areas.
“With partners like TechnologyOne, we can help girls discover [the] unique and interesting opportunities available to them.
Within its first year, UNIQ YOU intends to connect students with more than one hundred female advisors from a variety of industries and roles that women currently underrepresent.