Colombia. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, commemorated a few days ago, highlights the importance of equal access and participation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields as a driver of innovation and progress.
The United Nations estimates that by 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to STEM. However, women currently represent only 35% of graduates in these disciplines globally and only 28% of the workforce in the sector. Increasing the presence of women in these areas is not only a matter of equity, but a key strategy to promote development. Studies indicate that companies with more than 30% female representation are more likely to outperform their competitors, while gender-diverse research and development (R+D) teams tend to generate more innovations in the market.
In this context, with the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rise of artificial intelligence, it is essential to introduce the concept of reskilling into the conversation to enhance female talent in STEM. This process of updating and recycling skills not only allows women to adapt to new market demands, but also provides them with benefits such as greater employability, adaptability, and professional growth. Reskilling represents an opportunity to rethink the future of work, reduce the gender gap in STEM through collaboration, foster access to mentoring, and develop solutions tailored to country-specific challenges.
For example, partnerships between the public sector, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations have proven to be effective large-scale strategies to encourage more women to participate in STEM fields, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). In addition, the document points out that empowering female talent through reskilling not only promotes equal opportunities, but also drives innovation and economic growth in the digital age.
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), progress is encouraging, with women currently accounting for 41% of STEM graduates. However, although there are no general figures on STEM employment in the region, data on the information and communication technology (ICT) sector indicate that only 30% of employees are women, a figure considerably lower than the 41% of graduates in these disciplines. This raises a key question: if more and more women are pursuing STEM degrees, what are the barriers holding back their participation in the labor market?
The answer lies in the need to ensure a work-life balance, hire the most qualified professionals without distinction of gender, and encourage mentoring of women in these careers.
At Vertiv, we recognize the importance of supporting women's professional development. We believe in promoting STEM education for women and generating job opportunities based on talent and preparation, regardless of gender, race, religion or other factors. Therefore, promoting reskilling and female inclusion in STEM is not only a matter of equity. It is a key strategy to strengthen innovation, accelerate digitalization and lead technological advancement for the benefit of society's progress and security.
The growth of data centers is accelerating, and companies' increasing reliance on artificial intelligence is intensifying employment challenges in the industry, including an aging workforce and skills shortages.
Women in STEM at Vertiv driving innovation in data centers
At Vertiv, we are proud to support and empower women in the data center industry. Their work not only drives innovation, but also inspires a new generation of talent across all roles in the industry.
Practical actions to promote STEM education and careers for women
As a corporate member of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), Vertiv joined the partnership initiative with JASON Learning to foster careers in the data center industry and STEM fields. Through this collaboration, a curriculum was developed that immersed students in real-world scenarios and connected them with industry professionals.
Vertiv created a learning module on data center cooling and power infrastructure engineering and provided 1,000 JASON accounts to students around the world. This initiative brings high school youth closer to the industry, providing them with key information about the tools and knowledge needed to enter the data center sector and build careers in engineering.
In Latin America, Vertiv has sponsored programs designed to increase interest in the data center industry among young people. Through an intensive three-day workshop, participants between the ages of 18 and 28, from vulnerable communities, received training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), in addition to developing key job skills for the data center sector. In the first edition, we had the participation of four young women, and we hope that many more will join in future editions of the program.
Text written by Ana Ríos, Project Supervisor at Vertiv for Colombia, Central America and Ecuador.
