Rain Makers

CompTia is changing the Face of IT with the “Advancing Women in IT” Community

October 30, 2012 , 0 Frank Gurnee

One thing that most people would agree on is that the IT industry is an industry filled with men. Going to any IT event, community meeting, or tradeshow quickly proves this fact. CompTia, “The IT Industry Association” is helping to change this with the creation and fostering of one of the fastest growing new communities.

The Advancing Women in IT (AWIT) community was launched in January 2012 and is coming up on its first year anniversary. The community was developed to help women seek and advance careers in the IT industry through networking, mentorship, and education.

In order to reach a broad audience and create awareness AWIT created a video for HR representatives, school counselors, business owners, members, and just about anyone looking for information on a career in IT. The video highlights a number of executives in the industry including Sheila O’Neil, VP of Channel Sales for Panasonic Computer Solutions, Michelle Ragusa, Relationship Manager at Cisco Systems, Inc., as well as Kari Krautbauer, Senior Business Analyst at OptiumInsight.

The AWIT community has created a number of initiatives including a mentorship program, which has the group facing one of its first challenges. Demand for mentors has surpassed the amount of available mentors. The community is calling for executives in the industry to volunteer to be a part of the program. Sandra Ashworth Global Director of Channel Relations and Warranty at Unisys and Group Chair for the AWIT community, wanted interested mentors to know that everyone is welcome to mentor whether male or female.

AWIT hosts a number of a number of educational webinars. The next webinar titled “IT Careers – The Inside Scoop” will focus on the jobs available in IT and the things hiring managers are looking for when hiring for IT jobs. The webinar is open to everyone and registration is open for the November 7^th event.

The face of IT is changing along with the technology. The future looks bright for careers in the industry, and the efforts of CompTia to educate and mentor women are providing a much-needed service to a male dominated industry. To get more information or be a part of the open community visit the CompTia Advancing Women in IT website.