National Center for Women & Information Technology
The National Center for Women & Information
Technology (NCWIT), a national non-profit organization
whose core offices are housed in
the ATLAS Institute Building, was
created to ensure that women are fully represented in the
influential world of information technology and computing.
The center's mission encompasses
K-12, higher education,
the workforce and entrepreneurship and includes a broad
national coalition of partners from all these sectors.
The mission of the National Center for Women & Information Technology is to ensure that women are fully represented in the influential world of information technology and computing.
NCWIT's overarching goal is parity in the professional information technology (IT) workforce, and our fundamental strategy is to educate, disseminate, and advocate a national, multi-year implementation plan that generates tangible progress within 20 years.
Why this issue is important:
• Innovation and competitiveness.
Innovation thrives with a diversity of ideas and input. As IT becomes a commodity in an increasingly global society, what will distinguish U.S. performance? Women can, and must, play an important role in IT innovation if the U.S. is to remain competitive.
• Jobs.
U.S. Department of Labor projections forecast that our economy will add 1 million professional IT jobs by 2014. In the aftermath of the dot-com bust, however, the perception of a job shortage has caused a sharp decline in enrollment at computer science programs. With the female labor force growing at a faster rate than the male, we must capitalize on women's value in our IT workforce.
• Social impact.
From airbags to voicemail to medical advances, we've seen the negative consequences of products and services designed without women's participation. As technology becomes exponentially more pervasive in our lives, we need to ensure that it is created by as broad and diverse a population as the one it serves.
For more information, visit the NCWIT Web site.