Leading IT support and services company Connect has launched a new scheme to attract more women into the IT industry.

The 'Googlegirls' scheme has been established at a time when women only comprise around 15 per cent of the workforce in IT, Computer Weekly reports.

Connect has been talking to schoolchildren about IT careers, and has been involved with the government's Computer Club for Girls project, as well as introducing measures aimed at making it easier for women to return to work after having a baby.

The firm has also initiated a survey as part of the scheme.

"If a lot of the bigger companies adopted the same approach, the results could be pretty dramatic," said Connect's chief executive, Mark MacGregor.

He pointed out that many people still consider IT to be dominated by men.

"One thing that strikes me is the IT cultural image, because the idea of it being 'male' is outdated," he noted. "None of the things we do here are things that women cannot do. It is a cultural problem."

If firms are only tapping into the male population, they are missing out on a huge potential workforce.

According to a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, women made up half the IT workforce in the 1960s, but that figure subsequently dramatically declined.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)