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- Vodacom recently launched this year's #CodeLikeaGirl initiative to train young girls in coding and STEM fields.
- The programme occurs onsite at 19 Schools of Excellence, and virtually, from 2 to 6 October 2023.
- Girls targeted for the programme include high school learners between the ages of 14 and 18.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Vodacom recently launched a coding boot camp for young girls as part of this year's #CodeLikeaGirl programme, which is taking place from 2 to 6 October 2023.
The hybrid coding boot camp forms part of the mobile network operator's ongoing efforts to bridge the gender gap in STEM fields across South Africa.
Although women are increasingly carving their way into STEM disciplines, there is still a significant gender gap.
According to Unesco, only one in three researchers is a woman, and women account for only 35% of graduates in STEM-related fields.
The numbers are even worse in tech fields, like AI, with only one in five professionals being a woman.
"With our 2023 hybrid instalment of this critical initiative, we are driving access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for more girls and addressing the severe gender gap in these fields.
"Through #CodeLikeaGirl, we are empowering young women with valuable coding and other life skills to equip them for jobs of the future and ensure diversity in STEM," said Vodacom SA's human resources director, Njabulo Mashigo.
Who qualifies
Vodacom's onsite training is set to take place at 19 Schools of Excellence owned by the company across South Africa, specifically targeting high school girls between the ages of 14 and 18, from Grade 8 to 12.
Those attending the on-site boot camp must be a learner at a school or nearby a school with a Vodacom School of Excellence equipped with laptops and internet connectivity.
The virtual training sessions will be accessible to learners who qualify, with experts leading the lessons.
"Vodacom has enlisted the services of a training service provider that designed content for its coding programme and provides training," Vodacom said.
The five-day boot camp will introduce the girls to coding, robotics and other ICT development programmes, strengthening their knowledge in digital learning and skills.
This is also designed to increase the possibilities of them pursuing STEM careers.
In simple terms, coding transforms ideas, solutions and tells a machine how to perform certain tasks using programming languages understood by computers, such as JavaScript, Java, C/C++, or Python.
Since 2017, when the #CodeLikeaGirl programme launched, over 4 000 girls between 14 and 18 benefitted from the initiative. It even expanded to countries such as Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Lesotho.
"The success of #CodeLikeaGirl is testament to the need to increase representation as we aim to build a digitally inclusive society," Mashigo said.
