On April 21, 2015, Advance IT Minnesota is holding its annual Aspirations for Women in Computing Awards. We are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s event and support the need for more women in technology. The Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Program is a wonderful way to inspire and support young women in the state’s high schools to grow their technology skills and pursue IT-related college and career opportunities.

About the event

Recently, 69 young women from throughout the state of Minnesota submitted applications to the 2015 Aspirations for Women in Computing Awards program. Twenty-two of the 69 applicants have been selected to receive awards and will be recognized at an evening ceremony on April 21, 2015 at Land O’ Lakes in Arden Hills, MN.

In addition to scholarships and prizes, winning this award can be a life-transforming experience; all applicants will be invited to participate in various activities designed to nurture and build their IT and professional skills, confidence and competence.

Numbers you need to know about women in tech

• In the mid-1980s, 37% of computer science majors were women – in 2012, 18%.
• Google’s workforce is only 30% female.
• Less than 50% of technology companies have women in the C-suite or serving on the board of directors.
• Tech companies employ an average of 33% women engineers.

Numbers you need to know about tech talent

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected the demand for information security analysts will increase by 37 percent between 2012 and 2022.
• There will be approximately 100,000 more jobs available in the field of cybersecurity seven years from now.
• Security jobs take 24% longer to fill than other IT jobs.
• As many as 56% of organizations don’t have the necessary security staff to manage security threats.

We are so proud to be a part of this program that is helping students succeed and combating our industry’s growing talent shortage. Please help spread the word about this wonderful program and support the women in your life in areas of technology education!