General Motors Boosts Women In Tech With Their Investment In STEM Programs

General Motor pledges $850,000 to facilitate greater STEM engagement among girls and teachers

The 850k will fund four non-profit organizations to help prepare young women and minorities who have interests in entering the fields science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The investment is expected to exceed $10 million by the year’s end.

“One of the reasons I was able to become the first female in my family to go to college; the first female to run engineering at GM; and the first woman to run an American auto company—is because I had family and mentors who believed in me, encouraged me to take the tough assignments and who gave me a chance. I believe that every single girl in America should have that same opportunity.” – Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO. Our commitment to STEM is personal. Learn more about our partnership with Black Girls Code and this week’s announcement from the link in our profile.

A post shared by General Motors (@generalmotors) on Sep 15, 2017 at 9:58am PDT

GM’s CEO Mary Barra shared the news and explained that company’s intention to develop STEM capabilities among students and educators. “The need for coding and STEM degrees is increasing; and if we don’t reach women, we are not going to have the technical talent we need in the industry,”  said Barra.

GM has partnered with four new nonprofit organizations in January—Code.org, Black Girls Code, Institute of Play and Digital Promise—after announcing a partnership with Girls Who Code. Monica Eaton-Cardone, Chief Information Officer at GM, believes that “encouraging women to pursue STEM career and equipping them with relevant skills is vital to the success of the U.S. tech industry.” General Motors has been in demand for coders, engineers, and IT professionals and so this is a significant step in paving the way for future STEM professionals.

“I salute GM for its financial commitment to bring more females into the tech sector, and I encourage other business leaders to explore ways to contribute to that goal,” said Eaton-Cardone. “It doesn’t have to be expensive; start with your local community and engage employees in the process. Set up programs to tutor students from area schools, or offer internships to provide hands-on experience. Host a STEM career day and spotlight the different kinds of tech roles that will be hiring when students graduate, and demonstrate the skills they’ll need to land those jobs. With a bit time, effort and creativity, you can groom today’s students to become your future technology staff.”

General Motors has been in demand for coders, engineers, and IT professionals and so this is a great step in the right direction for women and minorities. The goal is to have a highly-skilled labor force in General Motors and the world and other companies, which makes this investment much more worthwhile. Local students will have the opportunity to get experience and a lot of preparation for their future careers. Students will be exposed to online-learning, career workshops, personal grants and one-on-one tutoring.

It is a significant investment and opportunity, and the process of entering a STEM-based field is now easier and more accessible whereas it wasn’t before.

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