Thursday, March 07, 2019
View ShowroomDespite becoming more of the U.S. workforce as a whole, women hold a smaller proportion of computer science jobs today than two decades ago. And with women making up only one-fifth of computer science majors, experts warn that without action the disparity would deepen in the coming years.1
“Our actions today will have a ripple effect for years to come,” said Swati Shah, senior vice president of enterprise emerging technology at U.S. Bank and a leader of its Women of TOS business resource group. “As one of the country’s largest employers, we are committed to fostering inclusion in technology and all areas of our company.”
Recognizing that change can start in the classroom, U.S. Bank has launched a series of partnerships with national and local organizations to mentor young women who are learning how to innovate with technology:
As a national partner of Girls Who Code, U.S. Bank leaders in the Women of TOS business resource group (including Shah, who is pictured above) are serving as mentors for girls involved in the organization and are hosting career exploration events in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas and Minneapolis.
As a sponsor of several teams participating in the Appapalooza competition by Technovation, U.S. Bank Chairman, President and CEO Andy Cecere (pictured above) hosted teams of middle school girls who identified social problems and created apps to help solve them. The company is sponsoring teams again this year, with events this spring in Minneapolis and this summer in San Francisco.
With its Cyber Defense Center in Cincinnati, U.S. Bank launched a program with Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to lead K-12 girls in hands-on activities aimed at helping them earn the new Girl Scout cybersecurity badges.
With an inherent responsibility to safeguard customer data, U.S. Bank established its Cybersecurity Scholarship program with four colleges and universities to expand access and help close the growing workforce talent gap in the field.
Through its Community Possible platform, U.S. Bank donates to several nonprofit organizations supporting workforce development and creative play spaces. For example, last year the company donated $20,000 to Girls, Inc. to renovate its space and equip it with two 3-D printers, virtual reality headsets, robots, iPads, software and more.
“By partnering with these outstanding organizations, we aim to engage young women and prepare them for a future in technology careers,” said Shah.
Written by Susan Beatty of U.S. Bank.