Preface
Why is the issue of girls studying and working with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) important?
“ Statistics show that women are under-represented in ICTs courses in secondary, vocational and higher education and in ICTs-based careers. In 2002 [in Queensland], about 22% of Year 12 students enrolled in the subject, Information Processing and Technology were girls compared to about 78 percent boys. Over a five-year period male enrolments in the subject have increased from 17 percent to 25 percent of all students, while the number of girls enrolled has remained static at about 7 percent.” (Hon. Anna Bligh, Queensland Minister for Education, 2003)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming society. Fluency with Information and Communication Technologies is a prerequisite for life in the Digital Age. ICTs are vital to the future of every Queensland child.

Research has shown that women who work and study ICTs tend to the look through the machine to its social function. The ICTs industry will benefit from a more diverse workforce.
There are a number of factors that girls, parents, teachers and researchers identify as barriers to increasing girls’ participation in ICTs.

Boys generally have more experience with ICTs than girls due to early socialisation issues. This experience increases the confidence of boys with ICTs and thus their competence.

The public face of ICTs is steeped in “geek mythology”. Many girls, parents and teachers are under the impression that working with ICTs is not “people-based”. Perceptions are that people who work in ICTs prefer to work with machines than to work with people.

Many people do not realise that working with ICTs is not about working with machines but it is about developing solutions for real-world problems. Working in the ICTs industry is a fully human discipline that, while highly technical, is linked to other arenas and to people.

A priority for the Association of Women Educators (AWE) is to increase awareness of educators about the low percentage of girls studying and accessing work opportunities in the ICT field and to identify successful strategies for educators to employ that will redress this imbalance.

What are the aims and objectives of this kit?
This kit is a ‘how to’ resource designed to make it easier for groups to plan and conduct ICT role model events for girls, their parents and their teachers.

It contains a range of ready-to-use resources such as example templates for letters, planning, budgeting, promotions and marketing, sourcing role models and sponsors; and good practice exemplars with ideas, hints and suggestions which can be adapted to suit specific events.

”Girls need role models; they need to see women using computers competently and confidently” (Carey 2001). The recognition of the importance of role models in relation to recruitment and retention of girls in ICTs is an established theme throughout ICT literature. Essentially, role models are one of the powerful factors influencing career choices of high school students (Gürer and Camp 2002; Newmarch, Taylor-Steele and Cumpston 2000). Some examples of good role models may include successful family or friends along with community and media figures, whether they are fictional or real (Multimedia-Victoria 2001).

However, there is a lack of appropriate, visible ICT role models for girls both within and external to the school system (Byrne and Lyons 2001; Harrelson 1999; Newmarch et al. 2000). Therefore, to ensure that girls are encouraged to enter and remain in the ICT field, it is essential that people are educated and recruited to act as positive role models. It is these role models who will then inspire interest and demonstrate that IT is a diverse and interesting field (Gürer and Camp 2002). By holding mentoring events, girls can be encouraged by positive role models and shown that ICT careers are for girls!

How was this kit developed?
This kit has grown out of the experience of a Queensland project that was funded by the Department of State Development and Innovation’s ICT Skills, Training and Role Models program (i-STAR). In this project, events were conducted by eight local action committees throughout metropolitan and regional Queensland to encourage girls to become involved in ICTs and to inform their parents and teachers of career possibilities in this area.

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