Women’s training revisited: developing new learning pathways for women IT technicians using a holistic approach

While there have been many initiatives to which have attempted improve the numbers of professional women in computing, there has been little focus so far on women who work as IT technicians. This paper reports on a study of the lives and careers of a group of women working either in the IT industry or in other sectors as IT technicians. The women were participants in a supported training programme that formed one strand of the JIVE project, a UK wide initiative that was set up to tackle gender segregation in the engineering, construction and technology sectors. The paper begins with a review of a number of strategies that have been used to try and tackle the issues facing women in IT, highlighting the role and approach of women’s vocational training centres. Then, using qualitative data from two sets of interviews we explore barriers facing women in technical IT occupations including gender stereotyping and difficulty in gaining qualifications. We then examine the impact of the training programme, exploring the role of a women only learning environment and accompanying support measures, in tackling gender segregation in this sector.