NAB
said
more
than
500
women
across
its
employee
cohort
have
signed
up
to
take
part
in
its
first
in-house
certification
for
cloud
technology.
The
bank
is
implementing
an
AWS
‘She
Builds
CloudUp’
program
in-house,
which
offers
the
chance
to
learn
cloud
skills.
The
course
runs
over
an
eight-week
period
and
is
designed
with
a
community-based
learning
approach
for
women
looking
to
build
a
career
in
technology
or
professionals
looking
to
re-skill
or
cross-skill.
It
consists
of
digital
modules,
weekly
virtual
Q&A
sessions
with
AWS
Mentors,
recorded
sessions
and
shared
resources.
The
program
is
open
to
NAB
staff
and
adds
to
the
range
of
technology
and
digital
development
programs
already
run
by
the
bank,
such
its
AWS-backed
NAB
Cloud
Guild
program
which
has
resulted
in
over
4500
industry-recognised
cloud
certifications.
NAB
chief
information
officer
for
personal
banking
and
digital,
Ana
Cammaroto
said
“boosting
gender
diversity”
is
one
way
to
attract
more
people
into
tech.
“There
is
a
common
misconception
that
technical
skills
are
difficult
to
obtain
and
even
harder
to
master
–
which
in
turn
often
puts
people
off
from
even
considering
the
industry,”
Cammaroto
said.
“The
reality
is
that
many
women
are
already
equipped
with
these
skills
–
they
just
need
the
right
context
and
encouragement
to
transfer
them.
“This
program
isn’t
just
appealing
to
those
in
tech
–
we’ve
had
women
from
all
parts
of
the
bank
register
to
take
part,
ranging
from
bankers
to
finance
experts
through
to
technologists.”
Research
conducted
by
AlphaBeta
for
AWS
found
female
workers
are
more
motivated
to
learn
despite
67
percent
of
women
having
undergone
digital
skill
training
since
the
pandemic,
compared
to
74
percent
of
men.
It
found
55
percent
of
women
intended
to
take
up
digital
skill
training
despite
not
previously
taking
up
any
tech-focused
upskilling
in
the
past.
The
research
also
found
60
percent
of
respondents
in
non-tech
roles
who
chose
to
upgrade
their
digital
skills
reported
boosted
promotion
opportunities,
and
81
percent
reported
improved
employability.
“Heading
into
2023,
our
focus
will
remain
on
increasing
female
participation
in
technology
at
every
level
and
She
Builds
CloudUp
is
a
great
example
of
how
we
will
do
exactly
that,”
Cammaroto
said.
About Author
