Sequels aren’t exclusive to your favorite science fiction or superhero streaming-verse – RRC Polytech is building on the success of last year’s Technovation Girls Manitoba program by adding a new chapter to the legend of local girls who can code.

The College and SkiptheDishes, Canada’s largest online food delivery network, have teamed up again to bring back the popular 12-week technology-based (STEM) program that introduces students ages 15 to 18 who identify as girls to the necessary IT coding and programming skills to emerge as tech entrepreneurs and leaders. The Technovation Girls Manitoba course is delivered online, at no cost to the participants, and challenges students to identify a need in their community then work with instructors and mentors to create an app or an AI-powered tool that offers a real-world solution.

“Opportunity in the tech sector is virtually endless yet women continue to be underrepresented. RRC Polytech is proud to host Technovation Girls Manitoba and grateful for our partners like SkiptheDishes who share our commitment to increase participation by removing barriers to education and creating more pathways for our learners to break into this important and growing industry here in Manitoba,” says Steve Lawrence, Dean of the School of Continuing Education.

“The experiential learning in this free program encourages teenage girls to explore a career in tech and accelerates their belief in becoming the leaders of tomorrow.”

Sequels strive to be bigger and better so global non-profit Technovation’s updated curriculum promises to be more interactive, more streamlined, and has additional activities to guide student teams through their projects. Favorite characters also return for new adventures and instructor Melanie Par is no exception.

“I’ve never seen myself as an underdog because I just do what I do, but I am a visible minority and a young woman in tech so I’m proud that these girls see me as a role model in addition to a trainer,” says Par, a graduate of RRC Polytech’s Business Information Technology program. “As a coder, there is no greater thrill than witnessing that transformative moment when they realize the application that they built actually does the thing they wanted it to – it’s so amazing!”          

Students also benefit from a weekly session with an industry mentor. Kassandra Swan from SkiptheDishes says volunteering as a mentor is an incredibly rewarding experience and she’s eager to see what this year’s cohort creates.

“I feel that if a program like this had been around when I was a teenager that I’d have navigated to a career that fit my strengths a bit faster,” she says. “Tech is a huge industry and the role it plays in solving social and environmental problems is instrumental. I’m happy to play a small part in inspiring the next generation of innovators.”

By working in teams, the girls also develop collaboration, problem solving, and leadership skills. They quickly progress from being initially unsure of their abilities to confidently presenting their finished products, which are also entered into a global competition. Last year a mobile app developed at RRC Polytech reached the North America semi-finals.

“The girls come up with thoughtful ideas that show no shortage of ambition, so the challenge often lies in scaling their project to focus on a single goal,” says Par. “We’re really teaching them programmatic thinking which is essential to coding and working in tech but can be just as valuable to an entrepreneur in any field – building a business or an app starts with being passionate about finding solutions.”

The online program begins January 24, 2023 and runs until April 22, 2023. The current uptake is now full with 40 girls registered and a wait list for the future is already forming so even without a spoiler alert, it’s safe to say the latest installment of Technovation Girls Manitoba at RRC Polytech is shaping up to be another blockbuster success.   

Technovation is a global tech education non-profit building a movement to reach and support 25 million girls and young women to become technology leaders and entrepreneurs in the next 15 years.