More than 50 female learners and their teachers from Olievenhoutbosch Secondary School were recently invited to attend a day of inspiration, technology and fun, hosted by GirlCode and RS Components South Africa.
Girlcode’s Zandile Mkwanazi (left) with Wesley Hood from RS Components SA.
These coding and STEM workshops are coordinated by GirlCode with a focus towards inspiring the next generation of coders, engineers and innovators. Zandile Keebine, co-founder of GirlCode, said it was amazing to see how much the girls enjoyed the workshop: “This will be the first event of many post lock-down. We have received great feedback from all in attendance, especially the enthusiastic young ladies from Olievenhoutbosch Secondary School.
“The reason we started these events was to create awareness and to build a community around programming and engineering, amongst girls. We believe we have achieved this over the years and would like to continue our teaching programmes and workshops through similar initiatives. These events have become a platform for young females to be exposed to more than just computers. By partnering with RS South Africa and others over the years, we have been able to extend our reach and impact even more young women from across the country.”
RS Components, a market leader in the industrial and electronics space, showcased some of its education technology to the learners in the hopes of inspiring them to get involved with technology, coding and engineering. Marketing director RS Components SA, Mellisa Govender, said that she was in awe of the work being done by GirlCode: “This type of initiative is a wonderfully creative way of introducing the next generation to STEM. At RS we’re passionate about finding innovative ways of connecting young people with technology and exposing them to possible future careers. Currently there is a significant lack of female representation in the ICT sector and it is organisations like GirlCode that are starting to address the issue and change the status quo.”
Attendees had the opportunity to interact with senior coders, developers and engineering scholars. Professor Tania Hannekom, function head for the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Pretoria had a pre-recorded message for the learners about breaking gender-based-boundaries and misconceptions. “Engineering knows no gender, race or class,” she said. “The only requirement to become an engineer is to have an incurable curiosity about the way the world around you works, and the passion to solve problems using science and technology.”
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...Africa’s brightest young battery innovators Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
Read more...The smart choice for test and measurement solutions RS South Africa
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
As the demand for precision and efficiency continues to grow across industries, RS PRO, the own brand of RS, provides a complete portfolio of test and measurement equipment engineered to meet the highest standards of performance, safety and value.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version