Female students at four Omaha-area high schools will soon be able to apply for scholarships that will support their path in pursuing a degree in an information technology-related field.
FNTS, an Omaha data center, cloud and managed IT services provider, will provide five female students with a $500 Women in Tech scholarship as part of the company’s commitment to invest in growing the tech talent pipeline and increase diversity in the industry. According to a 2021 Women in Tech report, while gender equality in the tech sector has improved, 35% of women working in IT say the lack of female representation made them hesitant to enter their profession. In addition, only 19% of women say they had a female IT mentor.
“Diversity is critical in technology. It can lead to better company performance, employee engagement and workforce retention, yet women still remain widely underrepresented in IT and tech-adjacent roles,” said FNTS President Kim Whittaker. “Our goal is to encourage young women to spark an interest in these fields and create greater access to female role models in the community.”
Each summer, FNTS hosts a Women in Tech event for young women and their mentors to inspire them to consider future careers in technology. Due to COVID-19, the annual event has been put on hold. FNTS will provide the scholarships in lieu of having an event.
Scholarship applications will be accepted through June 30, 2021 and reviewed by an independent committee of volunteers. Scholarships will be awarded at the end of summer.
FNTS consulted with local school foundations to identify schools that would benefit from the scholarships and selected Millard South High School, Omaha Benson High School, Omaha Bryan High School and Omaha North High School as recipient schools for the 2021 Women in Tech scholarships.
Interested female students from those schools must complete a registration form and a 500-word essay about the impact they hope to make to further the future of technology.
Applications can be completed at http://bit.ly/FNTSWomenInTechScholarship.