PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a pivotal national education and job placement commitment with the Clinton Global Initiative, Treehouse is putting its movement for economic equality into action with today's launch of "Change the Ratio." In partnership with Girls, Inc. and ChickTech, Change the Ratio is designed to inspire and empower young women around the nation to pursue careers in technology.

Computing jobs are growing at twice the national average and pay 75 percent more than the median annual salary. Women hold less than 25 percent of high-paying computer-science related positions, so there is a need for technology companies to close the gender wage gap and help place more women in technology positions.

"Nationally, women earn 77 percent less than men across all industries," said Ryan Carson, co-founder and CEO of Treehouse. "That doesn't work for us and we want to do something about it. By creating a fun, hands-on, educational technology experience at an early age, we'll aim to spur curiosity among young minds and empower girls to pursue high-paying careers in technology." 

Changing the ratio starts with providing early, skill-based tech education, which is something Treehouse does well. To give young women a leg up in mastering technology skills of the future, Treehouse has provided online learning scholarships to Girls Inc., Chick Tech, National Council for Women in Technology and other female-empowerment organizations across the country.

To kick off the Change the Ratio initiative, Girls Inc. Eureka! groups from the Portland, Ore. area will participate in a technology workshop, an "Introduction to Front End Web Development," led by Treehouse instructor Joy Kesten and guest speaker Lakecia Gunter, corporate vice president of Intel Labs and chief technology officer of Intel Corporation. Following the workshop, Treehouse will host a networking event to build and connect young aspiring women with female mentors and role models who will facilitate internships and career opportunities.

"By 2020 there will be one million more coding jobs available in the U.S. than there are people to fill them," said Joy Kesten of Treehouse. "That translates into $500 billion in annual salaries. We want to help women land their share of those high-paying technology jobs of the future by giving them the skills and career-ready training they'll need to succeed."

The Change the Ratio program is part of the Treehouse Code-to-Work initiative, a national program to educate and put 150,000 people to work in rewarding technology and coding jobs. For more information about Change the Ratio or to get involved as a mentor, visit www.teamtreehouse.com.

About Treehouse

The Treehouse mission is to bring affordable technology education to people everywhere, in order to help them achieve their dreams and change the world. As members of the Treehouse community, students can learn to build websites, create iPhone and Android apps, build Web apps with Ruby on Rails and PHP, learn about user experience and how to start a business, and much more. Through 1000+ video tutorials, quizzes and code challenges created by expert teachers, students can learn to code in languages like Objective­C, HTML, CSS, PHP, Ruby, JavaScript and SQL. For more information, visit www.teamtreehouse.com.

About Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, providing more than 138,000 girls across the U.S. and Canada with life-changing experiences and real solutions to the unique issues girls face. Girls Inc. gives girls the right tools and support to succeed, including trained professionals who mentor and guide them in a safe, girls-only environment, research-based programming, and peers who share their drive and aspirations. At Girls Inc., girls learn to set and achieve goals, boldly confront challenges, resist peer pressure, see college as attainable, and explore nontraditional fields such as STEM. Girls Inc. also works with policymakers to advocate on key legislation and initiatives.

With Girls Inc. in her corner, every girl can be healthy, educated, and independent.  Join us at www.girlsinc.org.

About ChickTech

ChickTech is a multi-generational community of women and girls dedicated to retaining women in the technology workforce and increasing the number of women and girls pursuing technology-based careers. For more information, visit www.chicktech.org/.

About the Clinton Global Initiative America

The Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), a program of the Clinton Global Initiative, addresses economic recovery in the United States. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made over 300 commitments valued at more than $15 billion when fully funded and implemented. To learn more, visit cgiamerica.org.

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders year-round and at its Annual Meeting to create and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI also convenes CGI University, which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their communities and around the world. To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 2,800 Commitments to Action, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $103 billion. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

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SOURCE Treehouse