Coding Lab is extremely honoured to be featured in the Women’s Forum For the Economy and Society 2024, hosted at Singapore Management University! This year’s theme, “Tech as a Vector of Inclusion”, was an especially significant endeavor as it brought female perspectives on technological advancements to the forefront of a typically male-dominated industry.

We are proud to have our Coding Lab’s very own co-founder Candice Wang, contributed her insights on empowering young STEM talents in the #SHECODES bootcamp - Fuelling female careers in tech panel! We also invited our #CodingLabStudents, Alicia Khong and Trinity Han, to share about their award-winning projects.

Today, we present an exclusive interview with Coding Lab co-founder Candice Wang, exploring her views on diversity, inclusivity and growth in an increasingly tech-oriented world.

Hi Candice, congratulations on being featured in the 2024 Women’s Forum panel! What was your biggest takeaway from other women tech leaders at the Women’s Forum?

One of my main takeaways from the Women’s Forum Singapore 2024, especially highlighted by women tech leaders, is the need to bring women's perspectives into tech advancements, particularly in AI. This is seen as the key to creating a prosperous and peaceful future.

The forum put a strong emphasis on achieving gender-balanced solutions across various fields such as technology, education, health, and finance. Ensuring that women's voices are heard and integrated into these areas is crucial for advancing gender equality.

Growth is a lifelong process! I understand you attended the Women’s Forum with two of our Coding Lab girls - what about their stories stood out to you?

Both girls participated in our International Coding Showcase 2023 and won a medal. Their projects were based on the UN SDGs and were meaningful to the community. Alicia’s project, “Fish Life,” illustrated how the polluted ocean environment will affect fish, encouraging a shift towards a clean water ecosystem. Trinity’s project, ‘Exercise App for the Elderly,” included a step tracker and exercise tips to encourage our elderly to exercise more.

Based on your insights from the Women’s Forum, and your/our students’ experiences, what is some advice you have for girls who want to enter the tech industry?

Study hard, don’t be discouraged if you find school mathematics or coding difficult at first. Practice makes perfect and makes all the difference.

As a mother, what advice do you have for parents who want to support their daughters in pursuing tech careers?

Introduce them to productive screentime from a young age, and manage it strictly with eye breaks and what it can be used for. Let them tinker with different software, listen to podcasts, and play with hardware like the Micro:Bit. Trust them with tech, and watch them soar!

Could you share some challenges you’ve faced in the tech industry?

I understand that the tech industry is still quite male-dominated. For example, the gender gap in technology starts at school in the UK, with less than 30% of women considering a career in technology versus men (60%) (PWC, 2017). It’s encouraging to see this moving forward today, with senior women in technical functions ahead of their male colleagues in GenAI adoption. (BCG, 2024).

At Coding Lab, many of our staff and tutors are ladies, so I’m guessing we buck the trend for typical tech companies out there!

From other female tech leaders’ insights at the Women’s Forum, what are some ways that women can support one another in the tech industry?

Women often have to juggle motherhood with work. The struggle is prevalent throughout their working lives. At Coding Lab, we’ve converted a tutor’s classes to be fully online and let her work flexible hours because of her newborn. The best part? Other tutors (ladies too!) stepped up and volunteered to take some of her later classes to help ease the load. 

On top of that, senior women can also lead the way by mentoring young women in their jobs and encouraging them at work through best practice sharing or lunchtime counselling.

Given your years of experience with Coding Lab, have you seen a shift in attitudes towards girls in tech?

I would say that attitudes are shifting. Parents used to tell me that “Coding is only for boys,” but just look at our gorgeous team of Technovation girls who are elite coders! And their parents are very supportive and know that their girls can code well. In fact, they encourage it at home. We even have classes with more than 90% girls sometimes. True, they are definitely a rare sight (for now), but the percentages are evening out!

Who are some #womeninSTEM leaders that stood out to you at the Women’s Forum?

I had the privilege of meeting Tian Tian, Money FM presenter—a bubbly lady who was such an inspiration; her energy levels and knowledge across different topics were amazing! Also, Ms. Minh Di Tan, Ambassador of France to Singapore, who kindly hosted us at her residence, and Yueh Mei, who shared more on her EdTech start-up, Hey Hi. 

It was also a joy to connect with my fellow panelists in breaking barriers as women in the world of tech. Scholar Angela Ng spoke eloquently of her time as a student leader in a male-dominated Computer Science course; Tanvi, a fellow co-founder in the area of green tech; and the amazing Tanushah who moderated with ease.

As Coding Lab’s co-founder, how does Coding Lab support the development of female tech talent?

We support all talent, and we treat girls and boys the same. Whether it's in our Minecraft class or the kids programming a BMI calculator in Python, we’ve had both genders excel in their lessons. Girls don't need to be given any form of special treatment; their abilities are no different from those of boys!

What is your vision for the future of women in tech? 

My vision for the future of women in tech is one where gender diversity is a given, with women playing key roles in innovation, leadership, and development. In this future, women will be fully represented across all areas of the tech industry, contributing their unique perspectives to drive more inclusive and comprehensive technological advancements.

Coding Lab helps make this vision a reality by creating an environment where girls and young women can thrive. Our curriculum is designed to ignite a passion for technology from a young age. By participating in national and global competitions, girls at Coding Lab develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed academically and professionally in the tech world.

Thank you for sharing your insights from the Women’s Forum 2024! We look forward to more of your endeavors in creating an inclusive and diverse future for all coders at Coding Lab.

Coding Lab offers an award-winning curriculum specially for ages 5 to 18 – check out our courses to begin your own coding journey today!

(Written by Thinzar)