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All hands on tech: How this hackathon is getting more teenage girls in Singapore excited about STEM
Nearly 200 students took part in the J.P. Morgan event, the highest turnout for a GenerationTech event since the firm started the flagship tech programme globally
The number of participants has more than tripled to nearly 200 students since J.P. Morgan’s GenerationTech was launched in Singapore in 2021. PHOTO: J.P. MORGAN
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The third edition of J.P. Morgan’s GenerationTech programme returned with a bang this year, tripling its number of participants over the last two years and making it the largest one since the firm began running it globally seven years ago.
Nearly 200 girls from 32 schools in Singapore came together for a one-day hackathon challenge on July 28 at J.P Morgan’s One@Changi office to develop digital solutions for real-world problems.
The global flagship tech programme was born out of J.P. Morgan’s goal to inspire young girls to pursue an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from an early stage. During the event, J.P. Morgan technologists worked closely with the students as mentors to help them tackle the challenges.
“It is important to instill a passion for technology in girls from an early age by introducing coding to them in fun and meaningful ways,” says Ed Bizaoui, APAC Chief Information Officer for J.P. Morgan.
“Working in teams and with their mentors to solve real-world issues, such as poverty, hunger, inequality and illiteracy, also gives them a better appreciation of how technology can improve lives, and be used to build more inclusive and equitable communities.”
Solving real-world problems through technology
At this year’s event, the girls were divided into teams and asked to develop digital applications in support of one of three UN Sustainable Development Goals – zero hunger, quality education for all, and gender equality.
One of the winning apps allowed parents to track the progress of their children’s education and reward them when they hit targets. The two other winning solutions were a gamified platform that educates users about food sustainability and enables them to source food easily from a marketplace, and another app that allows users to access a hotline to report domestic violence and other gender-related issues.
Members of the best team in each category received an Apple iPad each as prizes.
Shruthi Chandra, 14, from Bartley Secondary School, describes her experience as “an absolute blast”, and says she now has a much better idea of what a career in tech involves. “I also got to spend time with girls my age from other schools and it was an eye-opening experience. My mentors were really helpful especially with the designing process.”
Shruti participated in GenerationTech through Career Connect, a J.P. Morgan philanthropy initiative that mentors girls and steers them in the direction of a STEM education and career.
Inspiring a new generation of women to take on STEM roles
GenerationTech is open for all female students between 13 and 17 years old.
J.P. Morgan partnered Singapore Women in Tech – an initiative driven by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and supported by community and industry partners – to reach out to students.
J.P. Morgan partnered Singapore Women in Tech – an initiative driven by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and supported by community and industry partners – to reach out to students.
One of them is 16-year-old Ma Jiayi, who enjoys being a part of such STEM events. The pupil from Nanyang Girls' High School has attended many workshops and fairs, but says none were as challenging or exciting as this one-day hackathon event at J.P. Morgan.
During the hackathon, Jiayi learned to apply her technical knowledge to develop a solution to reduce food waste and help the hungry. Jiayi, like all the other participants, worked with girls from other schools.
Assisted by their mentors, Jiayi and her fellow teammates came up with the idea of building an app that would link communities to nearby farms, simplifying the supply chain and reducing the carbon footprint. The team also had to decide what features to include as well as ensure the app was easy to use.
“We learnt how to use our STEM knowledge to find solutions to important world problems that are part of the UN (United Nations) development goals,” says Jiayi, who is also interested in Chinese dance.
Lau Han Ning, 17, from Cedar Girls Secondary School – another participant at the hackathon – enjoyed the tour of J.P. Morgan’s Singapore Technology Center, where the girls were briefed about some of the technologies being developed by the US bank across the globe.
A highlight was the prototype video conferencing system that can project realistic 3D images of people from other offices.
“I’ve never seen so much technology in one place,” said Han Ning.
Narrowing the gender gap in the tech world
While Singapore has one of the highest proportions of females in technology roles globally at around 40 per cent as compared with the global average of 28 per cent, women continue to face many challenges due to gender stereotypes and a lack of encouragement from family and society.
According to research by United Women Singapore, a non-profit organisation, one in four girls are unsure of pursuing a STEM career, while one in three girls who had once considered STEM-related subjects for higher studies change their mind at the age of 15.
Speaking at GenerationTech’s closing ceremony, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling says that while Singapore schools provide equal learning opportunities to boys and girls, families and societies also play a part in encouraging women to pursue careers in tech.
A whole-of-society approach is therefore needed to address the challenge, she adds, highlighting the important role played by employers like J.P. Morgan.
A career in technology also requires a broad range of skill sets as well as an open mind and a love for learning, says J.P. Morgan’s Singapore Technology Center Manager and the GenerationTech programme sponsor Ms Irene Lim.
“Besides tech and digital skills, it is equally important to have professional and social skills and the right attitude to sustain your career for a long time,” she adds.
In the past few years, J.P. Morgan Singapore has seen a 150 per cent increase in local female graduate hires for its software engineer programme.
“Technology and industries evolve, and we must continue in our efforts to empower women and girls so that they participate meaningfully in STEM and not be deterred by stereotypes,” adds Minister of State Sun.
On its part, J.P. Morgan will continue to partner both public and private sector organisations to help build a more diverse culture within the technology industry.
“Ultimately, we believe that building diverse teams not only strengthens our business and culture, but also broadens the range of ideas and solutions that we can offer,” Mr Bizaoui says.
Tech careers in J.P. Morgan
J.P. Morgan values diversity and has various programmes to attract and retain talent, particularly women in technology roles.
Its “Winning Women Program”, for instance, provides female undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees at Singapore and Hong Kong universities with first-hand views of J.P. Morgan’s technology setup as well as its development and investment plans.
Another programme called “Women on the Move – Take IT Forward” aims to help female employees chart their career path and aid in their development within the bank.
Explore tech roles and internships at J.P. Morgan.
