Kazakhstan Launches Tech Girls Program to Boost Female Participation in STEM

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has launched the two-month Tech Girls program, a new initiative to increase the digital literacy of young women, teach the basics of programming and encourage participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), reported the Central Communications Service press office on Feb. 9.

Photo credit: PixelsEffect

According to Aziza Shuzheyeva, a National Commission for Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy member, applications for the program are accepted from Feb. 7 to March 1. Girls aged 16 to 23 years can participate in Tech Girls.

The two-month program offers free training in No Code, Low Code and Beta Career to more than 3,000 girls nationwide. The training includes webinars, workshops, live broadcasts, and sessions with experts and mentors from Techno Women organization and Astana Hub International Technopark of IT startups. Participants will be able to create their IT products and intern at leading IT companies.

“Kazakhstan is a very advanced country in the field of digitalization. The country’s offtech and fintech sectors are well developed, and digitalization in industries is expanding. This creates greater and new opportunities for girls and women. …  With the help of digital technologies, our Kazakh women can indeed find their niche in the labor market,” Shuzheyeva said.

Last year, the IT-Aiel program trained more than 2,000 unemployed women aged 18 years and older from 17 regions of Kazakhstan. It is expected that the IT-Aiel program will continue this year.

Today, more than 1,400 companies are registered in the Astana Hub, of which women manage 261. Most startups are aimed at developing the social sphere.


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