A new wave of women seeking to upskill in digital technology is sweeping across NAB with more than 500 female employees signed up to be part of the first NAB in-house certification cohort in cloud technology.
NAB is the first company in the world to adopt and run the globally recognised Amazon Web Services (AWS) ‘She Builds CloudUp’ program in-house, offering colleagues the opportunity to gain foundational cloud skills for securing an AWS certification.
AWS She Builds CloudUp is a flexible, eight-week, community-based learning program designed specifically for women seeking a career in tech or professionals looking to re-skill or cross skill. The program includes digital self-paced modules, and weekly virtual Q&A sessions with AWS Mentors, along with recorded sessions and shared resources.
NAB’s Chief Information Officer for Personal Banking & Digital, Ana Cammaroto, said women from all corners of NAB had come forward to take part in the training program.
“According to the Tech Council of Australia, we need one million people working in tech by 2025, and part of the way we can get there is by boosting gender diversity and getting more women working in a traditionally male dominated industry,” said Ms Cammaroto, who is co-sponsor of the program alongside NAB’s Chief Technology Officer, Steve Day.
“There is a common misconception that technical skills are difficult to obtain and even harder to master -which in turn often puts many women off from even considering the industry.
“The reality is that many women are already equipped with these skills – they just need the right context and encouragement to transfer them.
“This program isn’t just appealing to those in tech, we’ve had women from all parts of the bank register to take part, ranging from bankers to finance experts through to technologists.”
, commissioned by AWS, has found that while there is a gap between the share of female (67%) and male workers (74%) in Australia who have undergone digital skills training since the pandemic, female workers are more motivated. 55% of female workers who currently have not taken up any training indicate that they want to do so within the next year, 14% higher than the share of men looking to start.
“Heading into 2023, our focus will remain on increasing female participation in technology at every level and She Builds CloudUp is a great example of how we will do exactly that,” Ms Cammaroto said.
AWS Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Amazon Web Services Australia Pty Ltd, Rianne Van Veldhuizen said the program was designed to create a supportive environment for women.
“By encouraging women to consider a career in tech or evolve their tech skills we can help to increase diversity in Australia’s digital workforce,” Ms Van Veldhuizen said.
“AWS She Builds CloudUp is uniquely designed to bring women together in a community-based, supportive environment, which may encourage women to commence, pivot, or advance their tech career.”
Both tech and non-tech workers stand to benefit from digital skills training. The AlphaBeta research showed 88% of Australian workers surveyed in non-tech roles who have upgraded their digital skills are benefitting from greater efficiency, 60% reported increased promotion opportunities, and 81% reported improved employability.
She Builds CloudUp is open to all NAB colleagues employed across the world and is backed by AWS. The program adds to NAB’s existing suite of technology and digital development programs including the NAB Cloud Guild which has trained thousands of colleagues in cloud and resulted in more than 4,500 industry-recognised certifications.
