WITWA Blog
Dear WA Miners: Let's grow our own IT professionals
Did you see the article in ITWire titled, “IT professionals in high demand through the mining boom”? If you didn’t, you might want to click on that link and give it a read. Senator Chris Evans, the Federal Minister working with an education, skills and workplace relations portfolio, made it very clear the country faced a technology “skills challenge”. Senator Evans estimates the need for at least 3000 jobs in Perth to support the resources sector including professional occupations such as IT and engineering. So we invite you, Mining Industry in WA, to walk alongside us as we tackle this problem.
techtrails: It's All About Tech-Knowledge-Y
The WITWA committee recently spent a morning at Scitech to get a closer look at how they’ll be contributing to our techtrails program. Scitech are collaborating with techtrails using the techno truck to deliver the hands-on part of our program. We were especially excited about getting our own hands on the equipment after listening to Russell Hammond speak at our techtrails launch in November. Going in with high expectations, we were blown away by the end of the morning.
techtrails: It's Personal
When Dr. Erica Smyth addressed the crowd at the techtrails launch, no one expected to hear the real reason she endorses our program. With a list of impressive credentials including Chairing the boards at SciTech, Toro Energy Ltd, Screen West, and Diabetes Research Foundation of WA - along with directorship of several more organisations - we knew she would speak favourably about our technology roadshow. We hadn’t considered she might have extremely personal reasons to support us, as well.
Connecting with WITWA
Have you ever tried to tell someone how a virtual office works? Not long ago I helped WITWA apply for a grant for a new website. The golden rule of grant applications is to leave no blanks on the form - doing so could eliminate you from consideration for an award. This particular form wanted a physical address for our organisation which we couldn't provide. WITWA operates out of virtual office, linked by the homes, offices and desks of the committee members (in)conveniently scattered across Perth.
IT Demand Tightens as Sector Shrinks
Two articles came across WITWA desks in the past week to support the need for our techtrails program. We’ve heard a lot of lamenting about the shrinking technology industry. We also know young people no longer find IT careers attractive. (More about that in a later post.)
techtrails: Ticking all the Beazley boxes
It’s no small feat developing a program to encourage youth into the technology sector. What we’ve found just as challenging is getting support from industry and government to fund the event. When Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of WA, agreed to become the patron for the techtrails program, we were thrilled. Professor Beazley shared her larger vision for the technology sector in Western Australia and why she thinks techtrails is important to our state.
techtrails Transformations: Not Your Ordinary Networking Event
What do you get when you mix a purple Mohawk, a woman with a cleaver, a load of academic luminaries, ICT stalwarts, gobs of bright young tech geeks and put them all together in the boardroom of a big accounting firm? Believe it or not, you end up with the most passionate bunch of technology folks in Perth, all interested in working to get more youth into our sector.
TechTrails
WITWA's main agenda is to promote technology careers as a viable profession for young women. We've successfully run three careers showcases called "Go Girl, Go for IT". The last Go Girl event was in 2006. Despite many attempts, we have been unable to secure funding for another big event from either the government or private sector.