Parliament House event to celebrate students for flourishing at leading organisations
Canberra students excelled in the first year of the Women in ICT (WIC) Work Experience Connection Program was celebrated at an event at Parliament House this month.
The wrap-up event was held on October 19 and hosted by Alicia Payne MP as WIC continues to applaud the achievements of girls and women in tech and break down barriers in a male-dominated industry.
The program saw 17 girls and non-binary students in Years 9 to 12 complete work experience at leading organisations such as EY, Australian Federal Police, Microsoft and Pragma Partners.
Students gained experience working across a diverse range of ICT roles including operations, networks, penetration testing, cybersecurity, coding, human resources and consulting.
Briagha Elliott, Year 11, was an EY ‘consultant for the week’ and said the program broadened her perspective on the world of work.
“I was able to seek guidance from professionals who successfully navigated the consulting hiring process and now excel in their roles,” she said.
“Meeting everyone was a blast and immersing myself in the office environment was truly invaluable.”
General Manager at Pragma Partners, Tori Sanderson, was a host in the program and said the experience was equally insightful and rewarding.
“It was a delight to host students for work experience and play a part in nurturing the learning and development of Australia’s next generation of talent,” Tori said.
“We learnt a lot from mentoring the students and they gained valuable practical experience, so it was a win-win.”
WIC Pipeline and Advancement Sub-Committee Co-Chair Lynn White said she was proud of what the program achieved in its first round.
“The program was a huge success and an extremely rewarding experience for both the students and the hosts,” she said.
“It gave students a great insight into working in the ICT sector and the pathways they can pursue.”
Next year’s program will include an expo for high school and university students, with representatives from leading tech organisations to show what a career in ICT could look like.
Students will also receive guidance on writing resumes and cover letters so that they can apply for the 2024 program re-launch.
“We want to show students who may not have considered studying or working in tech, that it’s a really fun and diverse industry,” Lynn said.
Program overview:
- For girls and gender-diverse students in Years 9 to 12
- ACT-based program, with hopes to expand
- 17 students and 14 host organisations participated in 2023
- Seven schools collaborated with WIC to match students with work experience opportunities
Full list of 2023 host organisations:
- Netier
- Australian Federal Police
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Treasury
- Attura
- Microsoft
- Pragma Partners
- CDC Data Centres
- Verizon
- Tesserent
- e2 Cyber
- Emanate Technology
- EY
- Keane Consulting