Girls Power Tech, an SAP tech program launched in SAP Labs China and India, aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by empowering young women changemakers today.
Most recruitment programs focus on students, particularly those who have shown an interest in a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). While the percentage of women pursuing STEM courses is gradually growing, a report by Pew Research indicated that women are still underrepresented in job clusters such as physical sciences, computing, and engineering. This is despite them making gains in STEM professions in the last 25 years, especially in healthcare.
SAP aims to address this gap by launching the Girls Power Tech program in China and India. This prioritises girl students coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds and gives them opportunities to enter the corporate world. Additionally, the SAP tech initiative enables young women who do not have access to technical experiences and mentors to have internship experience in SAP.
Christian Klein, SAP Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board at SAP SE, said the company not only believes in cultivating an inclusive culture within the organisation, but also in extending it to the less fortunate ones.
“Through Girls Power Tech, our effort is to go beyond the STEM initiatives in school and colleges and bring world-class technology experiences and career opportunities at the doorstep of these girls. That, in the true sense, would be completing the circle of inclusion,” he explained.
Girls Power Tech Program in China
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic bringing unprecedented challenges globally in 2020, SAP Labs China was able to select 25 girls to join the internship and has conducted the program throughout last year. Some young changemakers traveled from Tibet and Xinjiang’s remote regions, with the majority receiving a welcome present and a computer through remote onboarding.
The participants, with most of them working remotely due to COVID-19, gathered in a two-day Girls Power Tech Bootcamp in Shanghai to meet others and discuss their experiences from the three-month internship.
Seven enablement sessions, two panels, and a Bootcamp were delivered, providing the young women with new information about programming language, methodology, and product knowledge. They also received guidance with their future career development and were able to identify areas for improvement including communication skills. Additionally, the girls experienced active community activities across SAP Labs offices and participated in product development and testing.
The 25 students from 19 colleges and 10 provinces joined 19 research and development (R&D) teams in Shanghai, Dalian, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an. Five of the students have been offered full-time positions with SAP in 2021.
Empowering Young Women in India Through SAP Tech Initiative
Meanwhile, Sindhu Gangadharan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at SAP Labs India, announced the SAP tech initiative during the SAP Developer Kick-Off Meeting (DKOM) conference last year intending to enable young women with the necessary skills to work in the IT landscape and drive entrepreneurial ventures should they desire.
SAP has been doing some pioneering work in educating girl students in STEM through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects such as Code Unnati. Just last month, SAP Labs India partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the State Government of Karnataka to facilitate improved access to career guidance, employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and to foster 21st-century skills in a bid to empower women and youth in the state.
Moreover, the German enterprise software giant has a great culture of connecting employees with purpose. Through the Girls Power Tech initiative, SAP employees get the opportunity to give back and play the role of a career mentor to guide the young women in the program.
