Women tech programme set to level the field
SANDOWN – We Think Code launched the Women Think Code programme to teach women how to code for free.
Non-profit IT institute We Think Code, in partnership with the Momentum Metropolitan Foundation and MWR Info Security, launched the Women Think Code programme which will teach women how to code for free in an effort to address the lack of female representation in the technological sphere.
At the launch on 29 August at Workshop 17 in Sandown, We Think Code CEO Nyan Samushonga gave attendees an industry wake-up call. “About 38 per cent of our applicants are women. [By] the time that they get selected into the programme, we only have about 16 per cent. After two years, by the time that they graduate, only 10 per cent are women,” she said.
“We are finding that female representation generally declines over time and as We Think Code, with women leaders and women founders, we need that to reflect a little better within our programme.”
We Think Code was first introduced with the intention to recruit some of the country’s top talent and introduce them to the world of tech where they can become career professionals within the industry.
Samushonga added that the programme is not just about getting increased participation. “[We want] to try and figure out, after we have recruited, how can we retain students better? How can we put intervention in place so that they are within the campus? How do we graduate them and place them within the industry?
“There has been intentionality to our exclusion so now their needs to be intentionality to our inclusion – part of that falls on women.”
According to Clara van Staden, a software engineer for Over, this will begin with the women who are already known and visible in the industry. “Take the responsibility as an ambassador to show that you can do this as a woman in tech,” Van Staden explained.
Joani Green, a senior consultant for incident response teams at MWR Info Security, added that IT as a career option should, in fact, be introduced to female learners at a younger age.
“I remember when I was in school it was never put as an option. Thankfully KPMG came to the school and half of the girls wanted to be charted accountants after that. There is a big difference if someone actually shows up and tells you what it’s about,” Green said.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/209362/female-empowerment-is-good-for-business/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/its-a-womans-world/
