Gender stereotypes are being abolished across industries and it’s no different for the technology sector. Once a male-dominated discipline, increasingly girls are turning their attention to technology, following their passions and developing critical technology-focused skillsets. But there’s still a long way to go.
Schools can play a huge part in helping girls follow their dreams.
At JB Hi-Fi Education, we’re partnering with Cisco to champion Girls in Technology initiatives and help Australian schools inspire more girls to consider studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and develop the necessary skills for a future in technology-focused occupations that will advance society and affect real change.
We offer several initiatives including Cisco Networking Academy and Women Rock-IT that your school can engage with to help girls uncover new passions and visualise potential employment options down the track.
According to Cisco Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Tae Yoo – “If we want more girls and women to secure their own economic futures and support global economic growth, it makes sense to expose them to the opportunities STEM skills can provide. The opportunities for those with IT training not only reside in the technology field, but also extend across all industries.”1
Cisco has developed the Cisco Networking Academy, a collection of courses that are free to enrol in and offer girls a taste of several key and emerging IT trends. Some of these courses include:
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Focusing on the risks posed by exponential device growth, this course for beginners explores the most common cyber security threats, attacks and vulnerability points. Girls can develop a basic understanding of the cyber security space and learn best-practice methods for protecting data and infrastructure.2
Introduction to Internet of Things (IoT)
Another course for beginners, this IoT focused initiative helps girls develop a range of basic IoT skills that will be transferable across businesses in almost any industry in the future.3
Entrepreneurship
Consider this a jump-start course that can foster entrepreneurial dreams and ideas for girls. However, more than something that fosters dreams, this beginner’s course covers the dos and don’ts of business acumen, developing financial best-practices, and how to develop the right mindset to succeed as an entrepreneur.4
Programming Essentials in Python
Imagine your girls working together to write their own computer program or an application that helps your school to deliver a better canteen or library experience for students? This intermediate level course gives girls the skills needed to write code in Python, Cisco’s versatile programming
language that organisations right across the globe leverage to drive innovation.5
JB Hi-Fi Education can help you identify new and innovative ways to engage girls in STEM and technology-focused initiatives.
If you would like more information about girls in technology initiatives like the Cisco Networking Academy, speak with an Education Specialist today.
Speak with an Education Specialist
[1] https://blogs.cisco.com/csr/cisco-encourages-girls-to-consider-a-career-in-stem-for-international-girls-in-ict-day
[2] https://www.netacad.com/virtual/wr/intro-to-cybersecurity
[3] https://www.netacad.com/virtual/wr/intro-to-iot
[4] https://www.netacad.com/virtual/wr/entrepreneurship
[5] https://www.netacad.com/virtual/wr/pcap-programming-essentials-python