Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba Group's digital technology unit, has joined forces with United Women Singapore (UWS), a non-profit committed to women's empowerment and gender equality. The two organisations recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to kickstart their first-ever collaborative programme, ‘RiseHERs in Cloud.'
Designed to cultivate female leaders in Singapore's technology sector, the initiative aims to offer nearly 1,000 young women strong academic training and practical expertise within the next five years.
Aligning with existing initiatives to boost gender equality in STEM
The ‘RiseHERs in Cloud' programme complements UWS's existing Girls2Pioneers programme, encouraging young women to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects in their education and careers. This aligns with the broader aim of diversifying the tech talent pool in Singapore, which is already a leading tech hub.
Singapore outpaces the global average when it comes to women in tech, with 41 per cent of tech roles in the nation filled by women, compared to the worldwide average of roughly 28 per cent. While this is undoubtedly an achievement, both Alibaba Cloud and UWS agree that much more must be done to ensure complete gender equality in the industry.
Innovative learning approach and career opportunities
Developed by Alibaba Cloud's team of engineers, ‘RiseHERs in Cloud' offers a comprehensive curriculum free of charge. Through immersive workshops and interactive sessions, participants will learn about vital tech topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing.
The programme differentiates itself from traditional educational pathways by offering internships and job attachments with Alibaba Cloud. This provides participants real-world experience, networking opportunities, and a chance to engage with industry professionals.
Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, expressed the company's enthusiasm for the partnership: “With a shared vision of gender equality and empowerment, this collaboration is a natural extension of our shared values and aims to create a strong foundation that propels aspiring female technologists to thrive and become future leaders of Singapore's tech sector.”
Georgette Tan Adamopoulos, President of United Women Singapore, added, “This initiative is in line with our objective of narrowing the gender gap in technology by providing young women with exclusive opportunities to gain hands-on expertise in cutting-edge fields like AI and cloud computing.”
