EY Launches STEM Tribe Education App In India For Teen Girls

Pushing its agenda to achieve gender parity in technology space, Global consultancy service Ernst & Young (EY), in collaboration with Silicon Valley-based Tribal Planet, on October 12, launched a mobile platform called EY STEM Tribe for girls between 13-18 years age group.

The EY STEM Tribe has made its debut in India and will be available in the United States, starting with Seattle and Atlanta soon. The app is available for free on android and iOS devices.

Through the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) platform, EY wants to engage more girls into these tech-related subjects and set a base for those who want to pursue a career in tech in the future.

EY STEM Tribe is a platform that will provide STEM education to over six thousand girls across 45 government schools in Delhi NCR region through entertaining and gamified methods. The mobile app will feature modules on science, technology, the future of work and inspirational stories of women in STEM education.

The curriculum has been developed in partnership with “leading” educational institutes around the world. It carries lessons on advanced technologies as well, such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing and blockchain. Other lessons on the platform include climate change and space exploration, among others.

This initiative is a part of EY’s global Women in Technology movement, which aims to bring more women into the technology space to build a better working environment.

STEM Education In India Giving Women A Push

As there is a noted gender disparity in the Indian tech industry, especially along the engineering segment, both the Indian government and various private players have stepped in to push technical education in India.

A report suggests that there is only one female engineer for every three male engineers. Another report from Belong.com indicates that the Indian technology industry holds merely 26% of women in engineering roles, while overall representation remains at 34%.

At the India Skills Forum, held in March 2019 in New Delhi, global tech giant IBM had announced a three-year programme, along with various CSR initiatives, to promote STEM education for female students and prepare them for careers in the technology sector.

In the initial phases, the programme will target 2 lakh women studying in government institutions across Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Eventually, it will scale up to spread out to other states.