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High school conference aims to change demographics of tech workforce

Posted at 5:48 PM, Mar 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 19:48:41-05

OREM, Utah -- Picture a convention of 1,200 high school students who want to go into a technology field.

How much do you have to change your picture when you learn they are all girls?

The She-Tech conference at Utah Valley University exists to shatter male-centered tech stereotypes.

Technology industries are dominated by men, with women representing about 20 percent of the workforce. That's according to Cydni Tetro, the co-Founder and President of the Women Tech Council, which sponsors She-Tech.

"It is vital that we get and inspire young women into STEM because they are such a critical part of the future generation that will be part of our core workforce," Tetro said.

The She-Tech conference gathers girls from Utah high schools in a forum where they can try hands-on experiments in fields from computer coding, to physics, to microbiology.

If you'd like to learn more about the conference and the Women Tech Council, click here.