BICSI Brief

Women in BICSI has come a long way. We are an official BICSI-sanctioned Work- group under the Professional Development Subcommittee. We have an official Women in BICSI LinkedIn page with more than 250 participants. We hold webinars and publish this "More than Words" column in every issue of the BICSI Brief. Our annual Women in BICSI breakfast event at the BICSI Winter Conference garners more attention and attendees each year. An ICT Woman of the Year award is now presented at the annual BICSI awards banquet. And in 2020, BICSI swore in its first female Board President, Carol Everett Oliver, RCDD, DCDC, ESS. I'm proud of these achievements, but also concerned. Despite conversations around gender diversity, we are making only tiny ripples. According to the 2022 Women in the Workplace Study, women are still dramatically underrepresented in leader- ship, encompassing only one in four C-suit executives. The study also indicates that only 87 women are promoted from entry-level to manager for every 100 men. For our industry, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that only 13 percent of network designers and installers are women, and we represent only 3 percent of the fiber optic workforce. And yet, there is plenty of opportunity! The American Institute of Architects expects commercial construction spending to continue increasing this year. Meanwhile, global fiber deployments are progressing with billions in investment and funding opportunities. If you attended the Tuesday key- note at the 2023 BICSI Winter Conference, you heard Rural Broadband Association More than Words from Women in BICSI "We Need to Make a Bigger Wave" By Betsy Conroy, Women in BICSI Chairperson CEO Shirley Bloomfield discuss opportunities associated with the Biden Admin- istration's $65 billion infrastructure deal to expand broadband across the U.S. She also talked about the lack of skilled labor and the opportunity to bring young people into the industry, including women. But a lot needs to happen to remove barriers and attract young female talent. I believe we need to: • Increase awareness of opportunities and career paths, starting in K-12 education and leveraging opportunities like career fairs and workshops at high schools and community colleges. • Provide affordable and accessible training with paid apprenticeship programs for low-voltage technicians that offers competitive wages. • Motivate and empower young women through mentorship, networking, and by setting an example. Thankfully, these areas have some momentum. I recently spoke to Shirley Bloomfield. She told me about a K-12 guide that The Rural Broadband Association is creating with the National Rural Education Association (NREA), along with internship opportunities, "ride-alongs," and job fairs. They are also working with Northwood Technical College and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to create training and appren- ticeship programs. I hope to see similar efforts within associations like BICSI for the in-building premise sector. PAGE 17 C OM M U N I T Y C O R N E R

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