ICT Inclusion and Gender: Tensions in Narratives of Network Engineer Training

Abstract

Government, major information and communications technology (ICT) companies, and educational institutions in the United Kingdom currently claim that ICT skills training offers inclusion into the new economy. We focus on a private–public training initiative and its impact on the socially excluded, specifically lone women parents. Narrative data from four United Kingdom educational sites participating in this computer network engineer training program highlight a systemic paradox: that ICT skills development initiatives designed to support lone women parents are simultaneously working in opposition to broader policy goals such as work–life balance and ironically serve to reproduce the participants' classification as socially excluded. The assumptions underpinning the model of social inclusion driving the ICT skills training course are analyzed critically using the concepts of community of practice, classificatory systems, and marginalization. Our findings suggest that ICT training courses and initiatives should be accompanied by changes in pedagogic practice that accommodate the more wide-ranging needs of those targeted for inclusion, as well as changes in employment settings. We conclude by exploring the implications of this for government policy formation, business vendor qualifications, the design of ICT skills training initiatives, and our understanding of the role of ICT skills in overcoming the digital divide.

Keywords:

• community of practice
• digital divide
• gender
• ICT skills training
• network engineer
• social exclusion
• marginalization
• work–life balance

Notes

1. Work–life balance initiative encourages employers to introduce flexible working practices with particular emphasis on supporting those with caring responsibilities (Work and Parents Taskforce, 2001).

2. In the United Kingdom, sixth form colleges are alternative high school colleges for students 16–18 years old, in which they can complete their secondary education in a more adult and flexible environment.

3. Text in italics in the selected narratives indicates emphasis by the interviewee.

4.To date, the program is translated into nine languages and it is up to the indigenous instructors to translate the supplementary course material.