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It is widely recognised that equality, equity and diversity in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is important to the future of all nations as we collectively strive for a knowledge economy. However, despite this recognition and substantial international efforts to encourage more girls and women to pursue STEM-related education and careers, the rate of women enrolling in and completing Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science (CS) degrees has slowed or declined since the turn of the century.

To inform efforts to increase the representation of women at the Monash Faculty of Information Technology, this report presents findings from the current body of peer-reviewed research regarding initiatives, strategies and programs that have been found to influence girls' and women's engagement and decisions to study STEM at secondary and higher education, with a focus on IT and CS fields and degrees. We draw on research published since 2000 that we collected from two academic databases (Scopus and ProQuest) using multiple search terms. Further, this report includes evidence from grey literature (reports, websites etc.) of research and interventions that have been implemented and achieved positive results in increasing the representation of girls and women in both international and Australian education settings. Findings are drawn largely on literature published from US contexts, which we anticipate is due to the fact that it is where most initiatives have been delivered or where research has been conducted and made public. The review focuses on studies that address issues at the undergraduate level in the field of IT.

This report has five main sections. In Section 2, we provide an overview of the individual, interpersonal and structural barriers known to affect girls' and women's decisions to pursue a STEM degree at an undergraduate level. Subsequently, in Section 3, the report presents findings from studies on the experiences of women students enrolled in STEM majors in order to understand factors that influence their experience and attrition during their studies. In this section, we also provide a review of intersectionality research that looks at how race and gender shapes women's experiences throughout their pursuit of STEM degrees. Section 4 explores the various practices with regard to outreach activities, recruitment and retention strategies implemented across the world to promote girls' and women's interests in STEM/IT careers and to attract them to study and succeed in these fields. In the final section, we draw out key implications that should be considered in our development of interventions to increase the representation of women students in the Faculty of IT, and Australian IT and computer science faculties and departments more broadly.

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[This Strategy] has been developed within the framework of the National Plan of Action for Women in TAFE [available in VOCEDplus at TD/ERD 87.14]. The objectives and strategies reflect the Victorian context and are key activities to achieve goals for TAFE participation by women as outlined in the Plan for the Development of the State Training System. A strong feature of this Strategy is the specification of performance indicators in order to measure the success of the strategies.

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In 1984, the Women’s Learning Centre, Box Hill College of TAFE received funding for an Equal Opportunity Research Project to: 1. Determine the barriers that women and girls face in employment and education in the college environment; and 2. Formulate recommendations in line with current equal opportunity initiative, and government legislation. The information process entailed: 1. Conducting and interview program; 2. Gathering statistics; and 3. Examining policies and practices. Research revealed that systematic discrimination existed in both the education and employment sectors. Women were clustered into a barrow of occupations and severely under represented in management due to wide range of barriers. In education females are poorly represented in the majority of mainstream courses offered. Show less

This report describes strategies for counteracting early sex-role stereotyping and its effects in narrowing young women's subject options and career choices. The project was designed to assess the potential of methods based on personal construct psychology for promoting the personal development and wider social participation of young women and girls. It aimed to extend the principles and ideas underpinning a staff development model for use in raising the awareness of youth and community workers engaged in work with girls, and to make a preliminary assessment of their applications in more formal educational settings of further education and school. The model has three stages: (1) exploration of attitudes and personal constructs; (2) recording and observation in the organisational setting; and (3) identification and development of specific skills needed to work effectively with girls. Show less

This report is one of three documents produced as part of the Women in Entry Level Training (WELT) Project (report indexed at TD/ERD 87.13), which was initiated by the Vocational Education Employment and Training (VEET) Women's Taskforce (previously known as the VEETAC [Vocational Education, Employment and Training Advisory Committee] Women's Standing Committee. The report addresses the third objective of the WELT project, i.e. to identify strategies to assist Australian Vocational Certificate (AVC) pilot projects to recruit and retain women in new vocational training pathways where women have been under represented in the past. Show less

This document outlines a plan for improving post-secondary opportunities and outcomes for First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples in British Columbia, Canada. It sets out a vision, principles and goals, informed by evidence-based policies and leading practices, to address systemic barriers and support systemic institutional change to support Aboriginal learners. The framework places an emphasis on several key program areas, but it is important to note the framework is broad-based and encompasses all post-secondary education and training programs, including adult basic education, vocational, career, business, trades, undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

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This publication suggests that, despite international and national guarantees of equal rights, work still needs to be done to achieve global employment equality for individuals with disabilities. In OECD countries, the employment rate of persons with disabilities was just over 40 per cent, compared to 75 per cent for persons without a disability, and in many low- and middle-income countries, the employment rates are even lower. The contributions in this publication put forward ideas as to what can be done to improve this imbalance. The chapters cover an examination of the factors contributing to inequitable access to work among persons with disability, analysis of the economic benefits of increasing employment equity, employment strategies at every stage of a worker’s career, and evidence-based recommendations and in-depth case studies of innovative policies and programs from around the world.

Following an introductory chapter, ‘Disability, employment, and inclusion worldwide’ by Jody Heymann, Michael Ashley Stein, and Gonzalo Moreno (pages 1-19), the contents are as follows: Section one, ‘Employers and multisectoral actors’, contains the following chapters: Employment policy approaches and multisectoral implementation in low- and middle-income countries / Daniel Mont (pages 23-41); Finding and maintaining employment: lessons from workplace nondiscrimination measures in high income countries / Susanne M. Bruyere with Sara A. Van Looy (pages 42-70); Working with employers to improve ‘disability confidence’: the Business Disability Forum / Megan Galeucia (pages 71-105); Employability and inclusion in a for-profit company: Serasa Experian’s employability program for persons with disabilities / Kali Stull (pages 106-135); Assistive technology and employment in low-resource environments / Joyojeet Pal (pages 136-171); Microfinance and disability: recommendations for policymakers and practitioners / Leif Atle Beisland and Roy Mersland (pages 172-193).

Section two, ‘A life-course approach and beyond’, contains: Transition from school to work: new directions for policy and practice / Frank R. Rusch, John Dattilo, Robert Stodden, and Anthony J. Plotner (pages 197-212); Career advancement for young adults with disabilities / Lauren Lindstrom and Laurie Gutmann Kahn (pages 213-241); Preventing job abandonment and facilitating work reintegration in high-income countries / Rienk Prins (pages 242-263). Section three, ‘The role of government’, contains: Employment challenges and successes in low- and middle-income countries / Sophie Mitra (pages 267-301); Government policy and employment of persons with disabilities in Peru / Stanislao Maldonado (pages 302-328); Restructuring disability policy and improving employment outcomes in the United States / David C. Stapleton and David R. Mann (pages 329-359); Complementary approaches: Japanese disability and employment law / Ryoko Sakuraba (pages 360-390); Disability and employment in the European Union: collective strategies and tools / Anna Lawson (pages 391-428). Show less

This article gives a brief historical account of the development of equal opportunity policy within the South Australian Department of TAFE (SA DETAFE). The equal employment opportunity model of change has been the basis for those seeking to promote equal educational and employment opportunity in SA DETAFE. The author briefly reviews the literature on this model as it applies to SA DETAFE and describes the formation and planning for implementation of the 1979 and 1984 equal opportunity policy statements. She concludes that the implementation of equal employment opportunity was characterised by lack of support and inaction at political and bureaucratic levels. However, she judges the amount of progress that was achieved suggests more analysis is needed to isolate the salient factors. Show less

While limited, research centering [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer] LGBTQ students and experiences at the community college indicate students experience microaggressions, feelings of isolation, and a lack of curricular inclusivity at their community college institutions. With a lack of clarity around nondiscrimination policies at the federal level, coupled with a lack of nondiscrimination policies at the state level, institutions are often left without proper guidance regarding inclusive nondiscrimination policies for LGBTQ individuals. Given these constraints, it is critical community colleges explore how they can support LGBTQ students and provide them key resources. This article provides an overview of research on LGBTQ student experiences, resources, and promising practices within the community college context. In addition, this article will discuss the implications that federal and state policy has on the inclusion (and exclusion) of LGBTQ students, and finally discuss ways for community colleges to engage in inclusive practices. Focus on low-cost/no-cost practices is emphasized.

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Indigenous peoples are diverse, within and across nations. However, the Indigenous peoples have experienced colonisation processes that have undermined Indigenous young people's access to their identity, language and culture. At the same time, Indigenous children have not generally had access to the same quality of education that other children in their country have had access to. These two forces in combination have undermined the educational opportunities and outcomes of successive generations of Indigenous children and young people, at times with catastrophic effect. The six Canadian provinces and territories that participated in this study, along with New Zealand and Queensland (Australia), are actively seeking to better meet the educational needs and aspirations of Indigenous students and their families.

The report seeks to identify promising strategies, policies, programmes and practices that support improved learning outcomes for Indigenous students and to build an empirical evidence base on Indigenous students in education. The study investigates four areas in Indigenous education: well-being, participation, engagement and achievement in education. These outcomes are inter-connected and mutually reinforcing, and each is essential for the success of every student.

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