Women often lack the confidence needed to take a new role if they do not meet all of the qualifications. We are starting to see the rapid rate of technological change play a role in who is considered for opportunities and who is not. In the upcoming years, more and more jobs will be displaced due to this change. We must redefine how we approach upskilling and reskilling, and find ways to meet individuals where they are at in order to see successful learning outcomes. If we fail to recognize different styles of learning, then we will fail to attract and retain diverse talent in the tech industry. I am excited to share my learnings from a program that I have started at Target Corporation in order to attract high school girls to STEM through teaching them how to code.

This program is a framework that can be applied to any organization for individuals of any age, race, gender, or background. My intention is to ideate a framework that can teach the skills we need to fill open roles at Target and in IT, leveraging the domain knowledge and technical experience already in Target technology. This framework will have the flexibility to meet people wherever they are because we are all unique—in race, gender, background, experiences, and learning styles.