ITT Technical Institute Supports Women in STEM as Female Enrollment Grows

CARMEL, Ind., March 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ITT Technical Institute is mobilizing an outreach effort to address the growing needs of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

"With approximately 28 percent of our total student population now female as of December 31, 2015, we're reaching out to STEM experts and organizations to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields by supporting mentoring environments and hosting STEM events for women and girls," said Nicole Elam, vice president of government relations and external affairs at ITT Educational Services, Inc.

For non-traditional students, such as those who attend ITT Tech, finding a mentor can be challenging. Non-traditional students are typically older than 25, have a family, are working, and are seeking completion of a degree.

At the more than 130 ITT Tech campuses, the ratio of female employees to female students is already high, which creates a higher number of mentoring opportunities for ITT Tech students. As of February 2016, approximately:

• Fifty-six percent of directors at ITT Tech campuses are women;
• Forty-one percent of women employees are in management positions; and,
• Forty-five percent of all employees are women.

In the past ten years, the percentage of female students who attend ITT Tech campuses across the country has also grown 9 percent.

To support the growing percentage of female students, ITT Tech offers diverse experiences outside of the classroom — hosting national organizations on campus and encouraging its students enrolled in STEM-related degree programs to be mentors in the community.

"Last year alone, we scheduled 2,300 on-campus events that included a Black Girls CODE event for young girls learning coding, web development workshops for the Girl Scouts earning computer badges, and networking opportunities with the American Business Women's Association," Elam said. "Many ITT Tech students also served as mentors for STEM-focused after-school or community programs," she continued.

Approximately 88 percent of all ITT Tech students currently enrolled are seeking a STEM-related degree.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that STEM jobs are projected to grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022.

About ITT Educational Services, Inc.
ITT Educational Services, Inc. ESI provides technology-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its accredited postsecondary institutions, ITT Technical Institutes and Daniel Webster College, to help students develop skills and knowledge that they can use to pursue career opportunities in a variety of fields. It owns and operates more than 130 ITT Technical Institutes and Daniel Webster College. ITT/ESI serves approximately 45,000 students as of December 31, 2015 at its campuses in 39 states and online. Through the Center for Professional Development @ ITT Technical Institute, ITT/ESI provides short-term information technology and business learning solutions for career advancers and other professionals. Headquartered in Carmel, Ind., ITT/ESI has been actively involved in the higher education community since 1969 and can be found online at www.ittesi.com.

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SOURCE ITT Educational Services, Inc.