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The purpose of this study is to explore and document women's
alternate and informal learning pathways to jobs in the IT
(Information Technology) Sector. We want to explore and document
the alternate and informal pathways women create and utilize
to acquire skills and knowledge for, and to access jobs in,
the IT Sector (considered to be 'good jobs' in the 'new economy').
This case study is one of several other case studies being
undertaken by others researchers across Canada who are part
of a part of a larger project which is exploring the current
forms, contents, and outcomes of organized educational, training
and informal learning activities in Canada's economy. Funding
for this project has been secured from the Social Sciences
and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
We hope that this study will help to fill some gaps in knowledge
about how women learn and access jobs in the IT sector. We
already know that women are a minority within traditional
formal educational routes to access the IT sector (e.g. engineering,
mathematics and computer sciences) and that women’s participation
in these programs is dropping. Research also shows that women
are a minority of IT workers and that they receive lower wages
relative to men working in the IT sector. What is less well
documented and understood are the ways women learn skills
and knowledge about and subsequently access careers within
the IT sector through alternate educational pathways and
informal or nonformal learning. Systematic investigations
are needed to document women's alternate and informal learning
and the outcomes of such learning in relation to accessing
jobs and acquiring equitable wages. This case study will address
these gaps using a gender-sensitive approach--one which seeks
to examine how gender, race, class and disabilities (to name
a few) influence women's opportunities and experiences.
We hope that by focusing on women's informal and alternate
learning pathways, a more a complete picture can be created
which will lead to more effective policy and programs. The
results of this larger case study will be shared with all
of the participants. We also want this research to help inform
organizations and programs that assist women to make informed
choices about jobs and careers and those organizations that
are particularly concern with supporting women's work in the
IT sector. We want this study to inform policy makers at the
provincial and federal level. Finally, the outcomes of the
research will be shared with other researchers concerned with
developing a more comprehensive understanding of the extent
of informal learning being undertaken by workers in the new
economy and with researchers who have a particular interest
in using research to better understand and support the variety
of women's learning pathways.
 We
are in the first phase of this case study which involves a
review of academic and popular literature and interviews and
focus groups. Information and data gathered during this first
phase will help lay the foundation for future data collection.
We are hoping to talk to women who have learned their IT skills
in a variety of contexts such as:
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Women changing careers into the IT sector through alternate
informal/nonformal learning pathways.
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Women who are still in school and making careers decisions.
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Women who have successful careers in the IT sector.
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Women who are in formal IT training programs.
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Women entering through alternate pathways who experience
discrimination due to lack of formal credentials.
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Low income/poor women in welfare-to-work training programs
and those who learn IT skills informally (and through
self-directed inquiry) in relation to their organizing
and advocacy activities.
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Women with arts backgrounds who learn their IT skills
in relation to their work as artists.
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