Charles Sturt University's [CSU] Bathurst campus hosted a workshop last Thursday designed to raise awareness of careers in cyber security for female high school students.
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The Girls in Cyber Security Advancing project commenced at CSU last year in order to address the decline of female participation in information and communications technology careers.
"For females, the participation rate in cyber security-related careers nationwide is at 11 per cent," CSU School of Computing and Mathematics associate professor Tanveer Zia said.
"By 2021, there is expected to be 3.5 million unfilled cyber security roles worldwide and we want to challenge the stereotype that the industry is male-dominated."
Professor Zia introduced students from across the Central West to a range of subjects, including password protection, file investigation and data analysis.
Denison College Kelso High Campus Year 10 student Isabelle Renshaw participated in the workshop to gain an idea of available careers in technology.
"I've always had an interest in forensic science and this workshop delves into digital forensics and how to prevent cyber crime," Isabelle said.
"We're learning how to protect our families online, and it's great to see more women getting involved in cyber programs."