Microsoft Australia To Subsidise Partners’ Gender Diversity

Article here. Excerpt:

'Microsoft is offering its partners a hefty discount on leadership programs for women in a bid to improve diversity in the local tech sector.

Microsoft Australia has partnered with Women Rising, a career and leadership coaching program for women, to offer the course to internal employees and those of its partner network for $1200 less than the usual fee.

The six month program is designed to grow women’s confidence and leadership skills in the workplace and includes evidenced based positive psychology, neuroscience and behavioural studies, according to the website.

The class is typically priced at just under $2,000 but the Microsoft initiative will bring it down to $797 for its Australian partners.

According to a recent survey by Professionals Australia, women account for just 28 per cent of the workforce across the tech sector in Australia, compared with 45 per cent across other professional industries. In that survey, more than half of the women polled reported experiencing gender discrimination in the past three years.'