Coles encourages women to build careers in tech

Coles is partnering with Dream Big Australia to encourage women to participate in STEAM-focused careers.

Despite years of focus and efforts to even the gender imbalance, men still far outnumber women in most STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) occupations. The partnering organisations hope to address the disadvantages experienced by women through the provision of career-enabling opportunities, networks and mentoring programs, aimed at fostering diversity in talent pipelines.

As part of the initiative, Coles Head of Store Customer Platforms Melissa Robertshaw developed a training module on ‘Leading Through Adversity’, which shares details on the organisation’s approach through tough conditions.

The module will be delivered to women who are currently completing studies in STEAM bachelor’s degrees and participating in the ‘STEAM Ahead’ program, which supports and better prepares women to be more skilled, confident and qualified when entering the workplace.

Robertshaw said the partnership with Dream Big Australia provided an excellent opportunity to promote Coles as a technology employer of choice for young females across Australia.

“I am passionate about diversity of thought and experience as I believe this truly drives a high-performing team,” she said.

“Partnering with the program by co-designing the syllabus and providing Coles team members to facilitate sessions will provide students with an inside view into the interesting and relatable technology challenges a business like ours needs to tackle.

“The relationship also shines a light on our commitment to addressing the STEAM skills gap for women and supporting the careers of young female Australians. Aside from just being the right thing to do, this may help further drive consideration for careers at Coles among technology professionals, both female and male.”

Chief Technology Officer John Cox said Coles was thrilled to partner with Dream Big to help students build skills, confidence, networks and mentoring relationships to enhance their capabilities, and elevate their potential prior to graduation, enabling them to differentiate in today’s highly competitive employment market.

“The market for tech talent is more competitive than ever, so having multiple pathways and opportunities that appeal to a diverse range of talented professionals is an important part of Coles’s ‘better together’ strategy for attracting and retaining talent,” Cox said in a statement.

“One of the exciting things about Coles technology is that we are able to help each and every single one of our team members and customers through tangible products and experiences that make our lives easier, even in times of adversity.”

The partnership with Dream Big follows two recruitment campaigns run by Coles to attract new talent to work in digital and tech roles in the past 12 months, including the Relauncher program and Connect Every Moment.

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