GE to Host 'Girls Who Code' Summer Immersion
Program
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Collaboration to help close gender gap in technology sector
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Equipping girls with skills to explore Science, Tech, Engineering, Math
(STEM) disciplines
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Fostering innovative minds to advance the future of industry
SAN RAMON, CA -- June 16, 2014 -- GE (NYSE: GE) announced today
that it will host the 'Girls Who Code' Summer Immersion Program at its software
headquarters in the greater Silicon Valley. For seven weeks, 20 local high-school
girls will be immersed in 250+
hours of intensive STEM-based instruction - everything from robotics, to algorithms,
to web design and mobile development.
The program also
includes demos, field trips, workshops and informative discussions from female engineers and entrepreneurs. Students will create a product pitch and
supporting technical documents to highlight the design, development and debugging
of a project of their choosing. At the end of the seven weeks, students will present
their projects to peers and technologists at GE Software.
To maintain the
iconic ecosystem of innovation that propels industrial revolutions will require
the continuous fostering of young talent in STEM. Through GE's collaboration
with Girls Who Code, together we can offer career-focused mentorship programs for
high school students, particularly girls, to choose these technical career
paths. Growing the pipeline
of women in research, science, and engineering presents an opportunity to fill available
STEM positions and reduce the deficit of skilled technical talent.
Since opening in
San Ramon in 2012, GE Software has hired more than 800 men and women - all with
diverse backgrounds in math, computer science, engineering, data science, user
design experience and much more. This highly technical workforce is aligned in
their common pursuit of connecting the world of intelligent machines with
people and data. These innovations promise to bring about a
productivity revolution and advance industries as diverse as aviation, rail
transportation, power generation, oil and gas development, and health care.
The 2014 Girls Who Code programs will run
this summer in San Jose, San Francisco, San Ramon, Mountain View, Palo Alto,
Seattle, Boston, New York City, and Miami. GE is one of 19 Summer Immersion
Program partners nationwide along with Adobe, Amazon, AppNexus, AT&T, eBay,
Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Knight Foundation, IAC, Intel, Intuit,
Microsoft, Square, Twitter, and Verizon.
Supporting Quotes:
"Girls Who Code was founded because we
believe female engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators are our future," said
Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. "Our Summer Immersion
Program is designed to expose young women to the exciting world of computer
science, and encourage them to lead the charge in growing the ranks of women in
technology. We are honored that companies like GE continue to partner with us
to make our vision a reality."
"Our vision is to ignite the next industrial
revolution bringing about profound transformation to global industry, and in
turn to many aspects of daily life," said Bill Ruh, vice president, GE Software. "To fully achieve this, we
need diverse teams of men and women in STEM to apply their creativity and
innovation to big iron. Our partnership with Girls Who Code aligns perfectly with our goal to attract
and support women working in the STEM field - with 27 percent of female
employees holding STEM jobs at GE Software."
ABOUT GIRLS WHO CODE
Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit working to close
the gender gap in technology. Through its Summer Immersion Program and Girls
Who Code Clubs, the organization is leading the movement to inspire, educate,
and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century
opportunities. Additional information is available at www.girlswhocode.com.
ABOUT GE
GE {NYSE: GE} works on things that matter. The best
people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding
solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building,
powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For
more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
CONTACT:
Holly Gilthorpe, 925-242-6896
[email protected]