Over 300 women have registered to attend this weekend’s Perth{web}Girls coding workshop, with an additional 457 on the waitlist, such that the organisers have had to lay on an extra day on Sunday…
Take a look through the past several Startup News articles and you will see that the majority are about women in tech: Dr Jemma Green, Jay Crisp Crow, Paula Rogers, Bernadette Olivier, Donna Edwards, Dr Vanessa Rauland, Kayla Itsines & Charlotte Pennel all feature.
This was not planned. It just is what it is. And it’s great to see.
More women should be encouraged to get into tech, many women are very good at it, and some of the best and most high profile tech companies (Canva, Kanopy, Power Ledger…) are run by women.
Talking about encouraging women in tech, tomorrow night the Women in Tech WA (WiTWA) Awards will be announcing their ’20 in 20′ winners at the Crown Perth.
They’ll be awarding 20 women who’ve made a significant contribution to STEM and Innovation in WA – and Startup News will be there to see who wins and will be reporting on who .
Teaching Women in tech
Perth{web}Girls, running now 3rd and 4th November at co-working space FLUX, is a grassroots Perth organisation founded in 2014, designed to empower women to enter the tech industry by organising free coding workshops for beginners in a welcoming, female-focussed community.
An unprecedented level of interest was shown for the upcoming event, with capacity reached in just a few days, and a wait list of 450 women grew in the week following the initial ticket release.
The interest has prompted a second date to be added on Sunday (4th November), and expansion to the South West set for the 17th November.
With the global percentage of women in tech roles is less than 25%, initiatives like Perth{web}Girls are trying to affect change through hosting these workshops, and working with industry to offer internships.
“Almost every startup I know is trying to hire developers at the moment!” said Kate Kirwin, Organiser (and WiTWA People’s Choice Nominee).
“I’m personally passionate about providing opportunities for women to enter tech industries. And, at the same time, redefining what it means to be a woman in tech.”
Perth{web}Girls is backed by VGW, BHP, tech recruiters Robert Walters and Spacecubed.
They have facilitated over 1276 women through the free workshops over the past 4 years in Perth, Port Hedland and Newman, with support through the New Industries Fund to run events in regional areas – including Bunbury next month, and Geraldton next year.
“It’s very validating to see so many passionate women looking to pick up a new skill,” said Kate.
“I am also amazing to see the outpouring of support from the mentor community. Over 50 people have volunteered their time to make this event happen, and over 60% of our mentors for this event are women.”
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If you are interested in mentoring or sponsoring Perth{web}Girls events, please contact [email protected]