While celebrating Women’s Month in August, it is important to remember that women are still underrepresented in STEM fields. Globally, women make up almost half of total employment across non-STEM occupations, but just 29.2% of all STEM workers are women. Initiatives like the MTN NextGen STEM Programme and GirlCode Hackathon are thus crucial to increase women’s representation.
MTN NextGen STEM Programme
The 40-hour bespoke, and immersive programme is specifically designed for final-year female students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees at selected higher education institutions. The participating students will have the chance to attend masterclasses delivered by MTN Executives, industry leaders and experts.
Eight of our female IT students have been selected to take part in the MTN NextGen STEM Programme that kicked off in July.
“The programme has been nothing short of amazing. The modules are so informative, and I'm absolutely loving it. It's been such a positive experience for me,” says Anele Philile, a Software Engineering student at Eduvos who is one of the students participating in the programme. Anele also expressed her gratitude to Eduvos’s Employability Centre, who shared this opportunity with students and helped them apply to the programme.
GirlCode Hackathon
The annual Hackathon is the brainchild of GirlCode, a Non-Profit Organisation that aims to empower women through technology and believes that more women should be involved in tech, design and development. This year’s event theme was AI4Women, fitting as AI has rapidly advanced in the last year, and took place on 5 and 6 August in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Six students from our Claremont, Midrand and Bedfordview campuses were selected to take part in this year’s Hackathon. All entrants are final-year students in the Information Technology Faculty. The event sees computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, and project managers, come together and collaborate intensively on software projects.
“Being selected by Eduvos for the GirlCode Hackathon is a thrilling honour,” says final year BSc Information Technology in Software Engineering student, Ogechi Geraldine Gerald. “This event empowers women in tech and addresses the gender gap in the industry. Through my participation, I hope to inspire other women to pursue tech careers and contribute to a more inclusive future for the industry. This opportunity signifies a positive step towards breaking down societal stereotypes and promoting gender diversity in technology.”
We are so proud to have our students take part in initiatives that empower young women and encourage more inclusivity in tech. We look forward to seeing these Vossies lead in the industry.
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