Workshop pushes for gender diversity in tech industry
SASKATOON A workshop for women in the technology sector in Saskatoon on Saturday was designed to address gender inequality in the field and showcase the skills and abilities of those working in tech in the city.
The #Drivingwintech initiative is organized by the national group Women in Tech World. The first part of the project involved visiting 33 communities around Canada during 2017 and 2018 to gain information from the experiences of women involved in tech for Canada’s Gender Equity Roadmap to outline issues in diversity.
The current step of the initiative involves “community activation” events like the one at Co.labs at Innovation Place on Saturday, where small groups are given the chance to workshop tech prototypes and learn how to create good project pitches. The winners at the end of the day with the best tech pitch are awarded a prize.
Jean Parchewsky with local tech company Vendasta said one of the key parts of the initiative is that it brought out a wide variety of people of different ages and background.
“There’s data and studies that have been done to show that a more diverse workplace makes you more successful,” she said. “The more females we have going into computer science and technology, the more we’re going to get out on the other end to apply for jobs.”
Saskatoon companies, including Vendasta, Co.labs, Innovation Place and Zu, partnered in making the event possible.
Parchewsky, who works as the vice-president of people operations for Vendasta, said diversity issues are something she sees regularly in hiring.
“(The workshop) is really important for the industry because it’s allowing us to collaborate with men and women in the field to work on key problems and challenges that we’re facing,” she said.
Co.labs program co-ordinator Cloe Ye, who helped organize the event at the Co.labs space, said it was good to see the event bring out a variety of women from different fields. “We feel that it’s really important to have that diversity in tech,” Ye said. “Women really do bring a whole different perspective to the way we do things.”
But Ye also said it’s a conversation they ’d love to not need to keep having in the future. She would rather see women celebrated for their ability without any caveats attached.
“These people are successful because they worked hard, not just because they’re women,” Ye said.
The community activation event in Saskatoon was one of three taking place in Canada on Saturday, with the others being held in Saint John, N.B., and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.