The latest UCAS application figures revealed that 361,510 women have applied for a place at University this year, compared to 276,263 men.
The statistics also revealed that 57,920 prospective students have applied to study Computer Science with 12,095 seeking to take Technology courses.
But according to the e-skills 2011 report ‘Technology Insights,’ only 9% of students studying A-level Computing and 15% of those reading the subject at university are female.
In March 2011 the IT Job Board also marked the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day to raise awareness of the lack of women working within the IT sector.
The UK’s largest IT job site did so by publishing some shocking findings about the industry and revealed that only 16% of all IT job seekers are women.
The Chartered Institute for IT also recently revealed that just 14.4 per cent of IT professionals in the UK are women and one in four IT service delivery employees are female.
Bob Clift, Head of Higher Education Programmes at e-skills, explained one of the reasons behind the shortage, “What a lot of women don’t realise is that most IT roles are business focused and are equally applicable to professionals of either sex. The problem the industry still faces, is the common perception that IT roles are reserved for ‘geeky’ men but this couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Helping women to understand the nature and importance of the industry from an early age may be the first stepping-stone towards a strong female presence in the IT workforce.
Gone are the days when IT professionals were confined to back office rooms segregated from the rest of an organisation. IT employees are often required to interact with colleagues within all departments at all levels, very much at the forefront of business.
The sector also underpins the productivity of every other industry, contributing £81 billion to the UK’s total GVA in 2010.
Due to the significance of the sector IT professionals are rewarded with accelerated career progression and substantial salaries.
IT professionals are also in high demand and according to the e-skills report, over 550,000 IT roles will be available over the next five years.
However the general consensus among IT employers is that these figures will lead to employment difficulties within the sector.
In the third quarter of 2010, the number of jobs advertised within the sector jumped to 101,000, while the number of IT professionals seeking work fell to 100,000.
Chief Operating Officer at the UK’s largest IT graduate employer FDM, Sheila Flavell, explains, “A major crisis within the IT industry is the IT skills shortage. At FDM we aim to overcome this dilemma by bridging the gap between University and employment for graduates. However without the inclusion of women within the sector it is inevitable that the industry and therefore the rest of the economy will suffer.”
The overwhelming concern among the industry is the fact that many women may believe that they are not naturally geared towards a role within IT the sector, despite the fact that the first developer, Ada Lovelace, was female.
Early childhood perceptions may be the root of the cause, as the findings of a survey conducted by Ofsted in April 2011 found that girls in secondary education held conventionally stereotypical views about their access to future careers.
Within her speech on International Women’s Day, European Commission vice president for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes pointed to the importance of strong female role models within the ICT “hall of fame”. She emphasised that the use of such figures would inspire women to branch into the sector and point to “a sign of balance in the sector.”
FDM believes very strongly in challenging common stereotypes and leading by example by celebrating its own female role models.
The most important testament to the company’s belief in female talent is its inclusion of six women on its Management Board, which creates a majority of over 50%.
And with phenomenal international achievements as the 11th fastest growing company in Europe, the female majority across its board further highlights the importance of a female workforce within the field.
Sheila Flavell adds, “To hold a female majority on any managerial board is unusual but within the IT sector it is almost unheard of. We believe our recent achievements under this board emphasise just how important a strong female presence within the IT industry is to the future of the sector.”
FDM reaches out to women through its dedicated events team and visits 120 UK universities on a regular basis. The company also attended the British Computing Society Women Lovelace Colloquium in April this year and is calling for more female candidates to apply.
To find out more about FDM, visit: www.fdmgroup.com
