The Women Tech Council (WTC) has launched a technology internship program to provide high school girls the opportunity to interact with technology companies, meet and interact with women in technology and understand the impact they can have by pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers.
Participants will tour tech companies across Silicon Slopes to learn about working in tech, the types of jobs that exist in the technology industry and the employability skills they need for a successful career in STEM. During their internship, the girls will present at the state educator’s CTE Conference to demonstrate and teach state educators about activities to engage students in STEM.
“The goal of every internship is to provide girls a vision of what it’s like to work in technology and start them on the path to gain skills, pursue an education and ultimately succeed in their career,” said Cydni Tetro, WTC president and founder. “Through partnering with industry to bring them real experiences in tech, we are creating actionable pathways for girls to be a successful part of the technology economy.”
The internship program is an extension of WTC’s SheTech, a program designed to activate, engage and inspire high school girls to pursue STEM fields and careers through hands-on experience and mentoring with industry experts. As the newest addition to SheTech, the internship program continues SheTech by providing another touch point to keep girls engaged with tech companies before they finish high school, increasing the likelihood they will choose to pursue a STEM degree. In the past year, more than 2,000 high school girls have participated in SheTech. Research shows 90 percent of these girls are more likely to pursue STEM fields.
Founded in 2007, The Women Tech Council (WTC) is a trade organization focused on the economic impact of women in driving high growth for Utah’s technology sector. WTC offers mentoring, visibility, opportunities and networking to more than 10,000 women and men working in technology to create business environments focused on high performance.