DigiKey founded NW MN chapter of WE, fostering collaboration and advancing opportunities for women in electronics industry.
NW MN Chapter of Women in Electronics
DigiKey
In 2018, DigiKey founded the NW MN chapter of Women in Electronics (WE), a community of women in the electronics industry committed to working collaboratively with their male counterparts to advance opportunities for women in electronics and related industries. Since then, membership and participation have continued to grow within DigiKey, bringing increased networking and learning opportunities.
Team members at DigiKey’s headquarters face the unique hurdle of being tucked away in the northwest corner of Minnesota. Being far removed from other tech hubs makes it harder for the team to attend industry networking events and speaker sessions and participate in cross-business mentorship programs, which is why the WE chapter has been such an important initiative.
The Thief River Falls chapter of WE is a dynamic group that supports its members in various ways. The chapter offers monthly training, which has helped many feel more confident in their communications and empowered to express their ideas.
The mentorship program has also been an invaluable resource for many. It connects women in different roles and stages in their careers and promotes collaboration, support, and career development opportunities. It’s become a place for many to feel safe and discuss challenges with someone with an outside perspective. Furthermore, it has opened doors previously unavailable to many. Some employees, once mentees, are now looking to become mentors and help encourage the next generation of women in tech.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it supportive of diversity?
The responsibility of being a major local employer is not lost on leadership, and this WE investment is an initiative paying dividends for the broader community. Women in Electronics provides access to learning and development resources that we can utilize on-site and share with anyone in our local community who desires access to experts, tools and support to empower and develop women leaders in the workplace.
The DigiKey culture wholeheartedly believes that diverse teams are critical to a business’s success because they broaden perspectives on any initiative or idea. There are many research-proven reasons why diverse teams lead to better business results.
Beyond stronger financial returns, diverse teams increase access to better talent, more effective problem-solving, superior innovation, stronger retention and more relevant solutions for end customers.
Our industry is very forward-looking and thinking, but it’s also a very mature industry, especially at the leadership level. In the next decade, there will be a high turnover rate in the industry due to aging leadership. We need to build that bench for the future of the industry so that we can continue to grow and transform. With the ongoing competition for talent, addressing this talent reservoir is critical for our ongoing sustainability. Our partnership with Women in Electronics provides a platform to talk about those challenges and promote the need for change within the industry.