ProMat keynote addresses the gender gap

A crucial part of getting more women into tech positions is changing the culture and the perception of who a computer scientist is, Reshma Saujani told the crowd at Tuesday's ProMat keynote.

As companies struggle to find qualified candidates to fill supply chain jobs up and down the corporate ladder, many are looking to an untapped resource: women. According to research by AWESOME (Achieving Women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education) and the analyst group Gartner, in 2018, on average, 14 percent of companies reported executive-level supply chain positions being held by women.

One model for attracting talented young women to the field that the industry might consider copying is Girls Who Code. This nonprofit organization is boosting the number of women in computer science through summer immersion programs and clubs offered for girls age eight and up.

The founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, told the story of the organization's formation and described the effect the group has had on the 90,000 girls who have participated, during Tuesday's keynote session at ProMat, MHI's material handling and supply chain trade show.

The impetus for the organization came when Saujani ran for Congress and visited many schools as part of her campaign. She saw many robotics clubs and computer science clubs during those tours and found herself wondering