East Central Iowa News

Des Moines Area Community College issued the following announcement on Oct. 5.

Event will feature virtual presentations from a panel of five women who work in technology

• Attendees will learn about the skills and training needed to pursue in-demand careers in technology, explore various tech career pathways and get first-hand insights from women who have built careers in the field.
• Presenters will include a panel of five women who currently work in tech roles at Microsoft, Xbox, Mediacom and LenderClose.
• Event is free and open to all; deadline to register is Oct. 9.

DMACC and Microsoft are teaming up to host a free “Careers 4 Women in Technology" Virtual Event to help share information and inspiration with young women who are interested in pursuing a career in technology. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 utilizing the Microsoft Teams app.

A panel of five women who have built careers working in technology will discuss their current positions and how they embarked on their career pathways, as well as the obstacles they faced and overcame along the way. Attendees will also learn about the skills and training needed for in-demand technology careers.

The “Careers 4 Women in Technology" Virtual Event panelists will be:

• Kat Roney, Network Acquisition Specialist, Microsoft
• Pepsy Wirth, Chief of Staff, Xbox Compliance
• Charity Coates, Datacenter Campus Director, Microsoft
• Becky Hendricks, Senior Manager Problem/Performance Management, Network Operations Management, Mediacom
• Martina Schubert, Chief Technical Officer, LenderClose

“The percentage of women in the U.S. workforce has climbed to nearly 50 percent in past decades, but the percentage of women working in the tech sector has remained significantly lower," said Silas Hanneman, a DMACC Pathway Navigator who helps students map out a plan to reach their careers goals through education and training. “DMACC is excited to continue to grow its partnership with Microsoft, as well as our relationships with many other technology companies throughout Iowa and beyond, to help encourage more talented young women to pursue rewarding and in-demand careers in technology."

In 2018, the DMACC West Des Moines Campus was selected to house the first Microsoft Datacenter Academy in the Midwest and only the fourth such academy in the nation. The academy provides DMACC students with training in infrastructure cabling, fiber optic testing, computer network connectivity and cybersecurity, as well as access to a cutting-edge Virtual Learning Lab (VLL) that opened last spring. The new lab includes more than 200 server racks and incorporates state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, giving students a valuable opportunity to navigate within the large, complex and highly secured data centers located throughout Central Iowa via a simulated environment.

DMACC students enrolled in the DMACC Network Technology – Telecom/Data Communications Program also have the opportunity to apply for a DMACC Microsoft Datacenter Academy Scholarship each semester.

How to attend: Register by Oct. 9

There is no cost to attend this virtual event, but anyone interested in attending should complete the online registration by Oct. 9 to reserve their spot. Register here. 

With any questions, please contact Silas Hanneman at (515) 964-6614 or swhanneman@dmacc.edu.

Original souce: https://www.dmacc.edu/news/Pages/20201005.aspx