MYOB addresses gender imbalance in tech with female developer programme

As part of MYOB's commitment to increasing the number of women in technical roles, the developher program provides successful candidates with a fully paid, full-time internship.

Each participant who successfully completes the programme is offered full-time employment with MYOB as an associate developer.

Closing the gender divide in technical roles

MYOB CEO Tim Reed committed to recruiting more women in technical roles, aiming to have at least 40% of graduate level roles in the engineering team to be filled by women each year. "The developher program was put in place to help address the shortage of female developers in the industry," MYOB chief employee experience officer Helen Lea says. "We know that a diverse workforce will support greater innovation and help us to create better products.

"It goes beyond that too – creating opportunities for women in technical roles is the right thing to do." For MYOB, this is about making their contribution to a bigger challenge.

The company hopes that having programmes such as developher in place will encourage other tech companies to be proactive about attracting women into technical roles. Hannah Deutscher successfully completed the pilot developher program, becoming an associate developer in January this year. "Companies need to be proactive about attracting women to technical roles," Deutscher says. "There's a misconception about working in the industry, that's why a lot of women might not follow that path. People think you sit in a cubicle all day, that it's a boys' club or that you have to be a geek who likes playing video games.

"Some companies might have that kind of environment, but I think larger companies, like MYOB, who have the ability to hire wide-ranging teams and train the right person for the role have a very different culture." No experience or qualifications necessary The last intake of developher in 2016 attracted around 200 applications, showing there's a strong appetite for women who want to learn to code.

Since then, the programme has been refined to include professional training from Coder Academy, as well as on-the-job mentoring and learning. "Developher isn't a graduate programme," Lea says. "Applications are open for all women interested in a career in this field, regardless of their previous experience.  If you've ever considered a career change into technology but not been sure how – developher is the answer." Applications open now Applications are due May 30, 2018, and are currently offered in Melbourne.

The programme is fully paid and tailored to each individual's pace of learning.

More information, including how to apply, can be found on the MYOB careers page.