The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is proud to present the final evaluation report for the Women in Technology (WIT) initiative, delivered in partnership with Status of Women Canada and six delivery partners – Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), Calgary Council for Advanced Technology (CCAT), Communitech Corporation, Innovation and Technology Association of Prince Edward Island (ITAP), Digital Nova Scotia (DNS), and TECHNOCompétences. We are ecstatic to announce that all six projects under the WIT initiative have been successful in their efforts in promoting awareness of the need for improved gender diversity in the workplace within the digital economy.
Throughout the three-year initiative:
- 888 women participated in professional development opportunities.
- 326 industry leaders have agreed to partake as role models for women in Canada’s digital economy, with 343 mentor-mentee relationships established.
- 154 industry partners are actively participating in the WIT projects.
- 146 professional networking events have been organized.
- 6,949 participants have attended the various WIT initiative events.
- 9 companies/organizations have evaluated internal hiring practices and pay equity as a direct result of recommendations.
- 10 best practices toolkits have been developed by the delivery partners, and so much more has been accomplished!
“Attempting to change the cultural landscape of organizations in the high-tech industry is no small feat. It requires creative and measurable efforts, along with a strategic focus that incorporates local context into relevant actions and solutions. The WIT initiative has done just that, and together, we have aimed to capture and showcase regional successes, and share promising models and lessons learned for interested parties who have the opportunity to benefit from the information and improve outcomes for women in the digital economy.” – Sandra Saric, Vice President, ICTC
With a forecasted demand of 182,000 skilled ICT workers by 2019, it is imperative that women are provided with opportunities to contribute to, and advance in, ICT and digital occupations. Given that women’s participation rates in ICT professions have remained consistently between 23% and 25% over the past 10+ years, it is clear that change is necessary.
The initiative achieved its goal of increasing women’s participation and creating a momentum toward an equal workplace including creating and promoting opportunities for women to develop technical and leadership skills; encouraging employers to create opportunities for women to take on leadership roles, and addressing human resources (HR) practices, structures, and measures that lead to systemic organizational change.
About the WIT Initiative and the Report: This report summarizes the results of six projects completed by partners across Canada who teamed up to reach a common goal of helping women enter decision-making and management roles in the technology sector. All six projects took various approaches to create tools and find ways to help women excel in this industry, and we are pleased to provide the resulting impact of these projects on women across the nation.
Check out the full report of all the amazing accomplishments and results from these six remarkable projects!
Note: Watch for the French version to be released soon!
This project has been funded by Status of Women Canada
