Fintech specialist e4 has launched a programme to enable girls in underprivileged areas to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Girls in Stem programme is an after-school programme designed to encourage girl learners to take up STEM subjects in Grade 10, after introducing STEM concepts in Grade 9, the crucial year before maths and science are dropped.

The programme, in partnership with the Melisizwe Computer Lab Project, a nonprofit organisation that provides schools in need with computer labs and information technology skills training, will run from Grade 9 until the year after matric, the intended outcome being that girls take up careers or further education in STEM.

The aim is to provide much-needed resources and support to uplift underprivileged female youth and address the shortage of females in STEM careers.

“With the rise of technology in today’s society, it is crucial that we invest more into STEM education for girls to be able to pursue a sustainable and meaningful career path,” says e4 human resources and transformation executive Ntombi Mphokane.

“With the digital age upon us and technology ever changing, people are being left behind, owing to a lack of access to computers and associated skills. Many students have no access to computers and matriculate without knowing how to use a computer or how to type out a curriculum vitae and apply for employment.

“That is an issue that will only grow in time if not addressed now.”

The programme is currently recruiting girls, who are selected based on their attitude and aptitude, from two different schools in Gauteng that Melisizwe Computer Lab Project has previously worked with.

They will be given technical training in science, maths, engineering, end-user computing, software development and robotics.

“Integral to the success of the programme is the mentorship offered by e4 personnel and other passionate women in the STEM industry, and the assistance given with personal development,” adds Mphokane, who has been instrumental in developing e4’s strategy to shift girls from school into opportunities that will lead to employment, either within the e4 ecosystem or in other technology organisations.

“We are committed to addressing the digital gender divide and developing the next generation of young women leaders as the driving force behind digital innovation,” she says.

“With youth unemployment at record highs and black females being the most vulnerable, we have to start investing in the right initiatives that have an actual measurable impact. We need more corporates to invest in the future of the youth, particularly in townships and rural communities, so the cycle of poverty can be alleviated,” concludes Melisizwe Computer Lab Project founder and director Candice Kern-Thomas, noting that partnerships such as this are imperative to change the status quo.