Diversity and inclusion are central to the Digital Innovation Futures program. It drives us to engage people across the whole of society, ensuring they not only have access but the skills to embrace opportunities in the digital economy.

The tech workforce faces a perennial challenge which many across industry and government have been working hard to address. Networking events like this week's Girls in Tech's Girl Boss Night and mentoring programs like VIC ICT for Women mentor(SHE:) is now taking registrations for their 2021 intake.

For organisations it can be hard to know where to start so the ACS has released a ‘how to’ reference guide on Implementing Diversity and Inclusion to deliver benefits to employees, organisations and the ICT industry as a whole. 

New in 2020 is the TechDiversity Hall of Fame celebrating outstanding expressions of leadership, behaviour, commitment and courage. Congratulations to Avanade Australia, Victorian Government and Vic ICT for Women in the organisation category. Also three outstanding individuals Rebecca Campbell-Burns, Michelle Bourke and Kathy Coultas who were inducted into the inaugural TechDiversity Hall of Fame in recognition for their commitment to raising awareness and creating change through diversity initiatives and programs.  

The critical importance of digital inclusion and the impact of COVID-19 was highlighted in this year's Australian Digital Inclusion Index, conducted by Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, RMIT University, Roy Morgan and Telstra. The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance likewise looked at of the pandemic on community organisations during the pandemic and how some tech companies stepped up to help. Better outcomes will depend on collaboration across sectors and all levels of government to use technology to deliver services and support communities in need. 

Successful adoption of digital solutions often overlooks the fact that people need support to achieve the biggest impact possible. Results of the 2020 Digital Technology in the Not-for-Profit Sector report found that while 97% of the NFP sector has experienced disruption to their services during the COVID-19 pandemic, only 30% of organisations that required staff to work from home had the technology needed to make the transition.

There is now a significant opportunity for organisations to consider ongoing service transformation enabled by digital technology. You can find out more in this these topics in some of the featured DIF On Demand events below. 

IMPACT2020 Series

The impact2020 webinar series by the Centre for Social Impact looked at the role of technology for not-for-profits, digital inclusion in the context of covid 19 and the findings of the 2020 Australian Digital Inclusion Index and lots more.

#TechDiversity Webinar Series

The 2020 #TechDiversity Webinar Series may have wrapped for the year but you can catch up on some great panel discussions on making business sense out of corporate diversity and why should diversity be top of your recovery strategy.  

Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance Webinars

Connecting people is where the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) steps in and this year is no different with COVID-19 and the impact on community sector requiring a collective response. Catch up on two webinars and hear stories from the front lines.