Educate Parents to allow children take interest in Tech -Dr Lucy Agyepong

Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Academic City University College, Ing. Dr. Lucy Agyepong has urged government and stakeholders in the Tech industry to educate parents on the benefits of allowing their children especially females pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Speaking at Jobberman Ghana's roundtable discussion on 'Diversity and Inclusion : Empowering young women in Tech for career successes' on November 16, 2023, the academician said it is essential for parents to understand the conversations about STEM, understand the prospects so as to encourage their wards to take careers in those fields.

We need to Educate our parents to allow and encourage their wards to take an interest in STEM and show them the rich prospects that their wards will have, if they pursued a career in Tech

She also urged government to provide scholarships for young women who are interested in pursuing a career in Tech.

Government and institutions should have policies at targeting scholarships for girls and women to encourage them to pursue STEM education and careers at the higher levels

Ing. Dr Lucy Agyepong also advised parents to stop putting social expectations on females.

'Societal expectations that women should stay at home to cook and raise babies still exists in our local communities today, this therefore means that the dream to become a tech guru or become head of a tech organization is shutdown very early before you can foster or develop... Therefore if we want to empower girls and have successful career in technology, we'd need to avoid some of these barriers that I've just mentioned It starts with Education and mindset change.

The roundtable discussion also featured CEO of Devapps Ltd; Dr Mercy Gardiner O. Tenkorang, Managing director of Knowledge Web Center; Dr. King David Boison among other Tech entrepreneurs.

The Jobberman Ghana “M-FIT Project” ( Matching Females In Tech Jobs) is a comprehensive initiative aimed at training at least 100 young women between 18 and 35 years with a STEM background in employability soft skills, and placing them in befitting tech-related roles in Ghana.

It aims to bridge the gender gap in the technology sector, to empower and equip young women with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) backgrounds with essential soft skills, making them employable in the Tech space.

Upon completion of the courses, these young women are expected to be connected to employers seeking talent in tech and tech-related fields, increasing their chances of finding their next great job in Ghana.

Jobberman Ghana collaborated with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to deliver the “M-Fit Project - Matchmaking of Females in Tech Jobs.

Read Full Story