|
Although women make up almost half of the UK's overall workforce, only one in five people currently working in IT is female, and soon to be published research is expected to confirm that Britain lags way behind other developed countries such as America, Canada and Ireland.
The low level of representation is particularly significant since the IT industry is one of the fastest growing in the economy. The DTI says the number of people in IT jobs has grown by around 50 per cent over the last five years compared to 8 per cent growth in other sectors.
Female graduate computer scientists earn an average of £17,000 compared with £14,000 among all female graduates, according to the Government's 'Graduate First Destination 2000' survey.
Ms Hewitt revealed that next year, the Government will launch an initiative to target women of all ages, from schoolgirls to women returning to work in later life, and will seek to reverse the under-representation of women in IT. It will include measures to:
Get more schoolgirls using IT in school;
Help young women making their first career choices more aware of IT opportunities;
Work with business to improve how they recruit and retain women in IT jobs; and
Offer advice about IT jobs to women who are unemployed, returning to work after a career break or who are looking for a career change.
Ms Hewitt said: "We need to give IT an image makeover to make it more attractive to women. Only 22 per cent of the IT workforce is currently made up of women and the image that many schoolgirls have of IT is more computer geek than computer chic.
"IT means big business. In the past 5 years, the number of IT jobs has grown by a massive 50 per cent, compared to 8 per cent growth in the general workforce, creating 336,000 more IT jobs in the process.
"Although more women are now working than ever before, too many are low paid and too few are well paid. I want to see more women in interesting, well-paid jobs and IT is a great way to get there. Female IT graduates earn about £3,000 more than other female graduates."
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the DTI will publish a research report entitled: 'Women Participating in IT, Electronics & Communications Courses and Careers' in November.
--
Richard Powell, Shout99
|
