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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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With a range of skills and experiences, people with disability represent one of Australia's greatest under-represented talent pools. This report argues that a new approach is needed to break down the barriers for people with disability, and to increase their role and advancement in the workplace. In late 2022, BCA surveyed its members to generate information on existing strategies and activities by members covering recruitment, retention and advancement of people with disability. The scoping survey has provided valuable insight into: foundational practices members are taking, including by way of commitments and accountability; emerging trends, including practices to support workplace culture and inclusion; and imperatives for success where the focus has shifted from attraction and recruitment to a focus on engagement and development. This report presents the key findings across these domains and best practice case studies to assist members to drive further gains in employment outcomes.

From the findings, BCA has developed these seven factors for success: (1) implement workplace adjustment to recruit and retain employees with disability; (2) develop or review discrete and identifiable Disability Recruitment, Retention and Career Development Strategies; (3) establish senior leadership group to drive and monitor progress; (4) develop an employee reference group that meets with senior leadership quarterly; (5) implement disability confidence training particularly to middle management levels; (6) examine talent identification and career pathway to support career advancement opportunities for people with disability; and (7) create regular stories about disability employment success on internal and external communication platforms.

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The study discusses the insertion of experimental course materials into a general education political science course in an effort to increase female student success. The experimental materials highlighted women serving in political office, with a goal of combatting stereotype threat. Stereotype threat occurs when a person is aware of a negative performance stereotype and the awareness causes anxiety, resulting in poor performance; this phenomenon occurs in fields where gender stereotypes exist. This study uses documented methods of stereotype threat-mitigation from the fields of science, math, and psychology and applies them to the political science classroom. The experiment used materials that were already slated for update, and simple statistics were used to evaluate impact on success.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

[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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To promote access to skills development among indigenous populations, education planners require knowledge both about the regions challenges and about policies that hold promise. In this study, we map the state of skill development of indigenous children, youth and adults throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Based on LAC census data and tests administered at the regional and national levels, as well as prior studies, we identify the main challenges to skills development among LACs indigenous peoples at the five life stages - infancy/early childhood, childhood and preadolescence, adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood. We also summarize evidence-based policies and programs that address access and achievement gaps between indigenous and nonindigenous children, youth, and adults - gaps that affect the development of lifelong skills and participation in the labor market. Based on the analysis, we highlight lessons learned and recommend lines of action.

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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