Bentley University Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) Program Director Wendy Lucas recently headlined the second annual Bentley faculty/industry roundtable, focusing on “Diversity in Tech: Addressing the Talent Pipeline and Workplace Culture.” Co-sponsored by Bentley’s Center for Women and Business and the Bentley Research Council, the event also featured Danny Best, director of global diversity and inclusion at Dell Inc.
The roundtable took aim at the “leaky pipeline” of women entering the tech fields. Despite overall growth of good jobs in the computing field, the percentage of women in higher-level jobs have consistently dropped since the mid-1990s
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Fostering diversity at the start of the pipeline will help the tech industry address a looming qualified labor shortage, according to Lucas.
“At current graduation rates,” she said, “the U.S. can only fill about 30 percent of the predicted computing-related jobs.”
Lucas said early intervention and encouragement can have a positive impact on girls considering careers in computing and other tech fields. Getting more young women and girls excited about and mentored in tech fields can also help address this shortfall.
More coverage of the roundtable can be found here.
If you're interested in learning more about the gender gap facing women in STEM fields, check out BestColleges.com's Women in STEM guide.