Hyderabad, India – 21st June 2017: Furthering its commitment to empower and enable girls through technology and build greater diversity and gender equality in the IT sector, Microsoft India dedicated its 5th edition of YouthSpark Live to #shedevelopstech to encourage young girls to explore Computer Science as a future employment opportunity. Hosted in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation and Girls in Tech Foundation and supported by governments of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa and the US Consulate, Hyderabad, #shedevelopstech workshop hopes to help young girls between 18 to 22 years of age, belonging to underserved communities, learn computational thinking – an essential life skill and become equipped with knowledge of computers and coding, further enhancing their career prospects in the ICT industry.
Through the two-day workshop, the girls will be encouraged to find technology based solutions to real problems they face in their community on a daily basis. They will start with developing the logic behind the proposed solution and will be formulating the final workflow for it. The girls will be supported by Girls in Tech Foundation and Microsoft mentors and facilitators helping them develop the final solution. At the end of the event, the p will present their solutions to a jury.
Speaking on the occasion, Manju Dhasmana, Director, Microsoft Philanthropies, India, said, ” Participating in coding and computer science is important to support the roles of women and girls as users and innovators of technology as well as researchers, scientists and technologists. At Microsoft, when we create technology and tech productwe keep in mind needs and requirements of all users across genders. Microsoft YouthSpark seeks to empower all young people, especially those who are at greatest risk of being left behind, by providing access to computer science education and digital skills they need to participate in a world that’s being transformed by technology. ”
Today, the IT industry in India has approximately 34% of women employees and there is still a lot to be done to erase this gender disparity. NASSCOM Foundation therefore has been a keen and active partner in this initiative.
Mr. Shrikant Sinha, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation, said, “Today, more girls and women are using technology than ever before. But relatively few are playing a role in creating this technology or are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASSCOM Foundation, through initiatives like #shedevelopstech, wants to encourage as many girls as possible to take up computer science as a career choice and accelerate their growth, not just in basic coding but also in new age technologies like Big Data, IoT and Artificial Intelligence.”
Girls in Tech Foundation, has been working hard to empower girls of under-served communities to move towards digital awakening and realize their true potential.
Chairman, Sree Divya Vadlapudi, Girls in Tech Foundation, said, “Girls in Tech Foundation believes in equal opportunities and fostering technical education & entrepreneurship among all deserving women/girls. We believe that bringing together industry experts, Government officials, startup ecosystem enablers, VC’s, entrepreneurs, organizational heads/representatives, Corporate, social sector and key decision makers from Corporate to institutions shall result in result oriented opportunities for women/girls which can be seen through #shedevelopstech initiative”
The #shedevelopstech is a part if the larger, Microsoft YouthSpark initiative. Since it was launched in 2012, Microsoft YouthSpark has created educational, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for more than 300 million youth around the world. YouthSpark seeks to deliver deep and impactful experiences by enabling young girls to collaborate, inspire and support each other, while using technology to spark change. Microsoft continues to work in partnership with governments, nonprofit organizations and businesses to ensure that all youth have the opportunity to learn computer science. More information about YouthSpark and access to tools and resources, including free online tutorials and training, can be found at http://YouthSparkHub.com and http://Microsoft.com/imagine.
About Microsoft India
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft set up its India operations in 1990. Today, Microsoft entities in India have over 8,000 employees, engaged in sales and marketing, research and development and customer services and support, across 11 Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Microsoft offers its global cloud services from local datacenters to accelerate digital transformation across Indian start-ups, businesses, and government agencies. In 2016, Microsoft opened one of its eight Cyber Security Engagement Centers in the country, to address security needs of both public and private sectors.
