Harvard initiative offers mentorship, support for women in IT
It’s no secret that today’s information technology (IT) sector is booming. Over the next 10 years, the field is projected to add more than 500,000 jobs in the U.S. alone. Yet despite that, women account for only about 26 percent of the IT workforce, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology. At Harvard, 35 percent of women make up the IT workforce, based on 2019 statistics provided by Harvard Women in Technology + Allies (HarvardWIT+). Working to increase that number is a staff-led community of volunteers from the Harvard Women in Technology + Allies Mentoring Program, an initiative of the broader HarvardWIT+ organization. Launched in 2018, the mentoring program began as a pilot after receiving money from the President’s Administrative Innovation Fund. At its core, the program’s objective is to make Harvard a more engaged and inclusive community by increasing retention and promotion of those in IT roles, providing...