Over a recent 12-week period, the regular routine of classes, studying and extracurricular activities for eight female students of King Saud University was changed. Once or twice a week, they left the campus and headed to one of GE’s offices, facilities or sites.

These students, all of whom are studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, were welcomed by female employees of GE who were hosting them as part of a first-of-its-kind STEM Mentoring Program.

The young women not only received mentorship and guidance on their studies and career choices from the experienced GE employees, but they also gained familiarity with real workplace environments and a strong hands-on understanding of what STEM jobs are like.

Perhaps most significantly, these students saw the mentors in action, at work in their jobs. They saw professional women like themselves working for a major company and doing important work that’s benefitting Saudi Arabia. The students also received advice and mentoring from the professional women who had studied many of the same STEM subjects in university.

In addition to supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to empower Saudi female talent and create high-quality job opportunities for youth, the STEM Mentorship Program also is aligned with GE’s ‘Balance the Equation’ initiative to hire 20,000 women in STEM-related careers and achieve 50:50 female-male representation by 2020.

“With the STEM Mentoring Program, we are taking our commitment to invest in next-generation talent in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to a new level,” said Hisham Albahkali, President & CEO, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain.

As part of its partnership with leading Saudi universities, GE has been hosting numerous GE Garages workshops for students in the Kingdom since 2016. The workshops are part of the GE Garages program – a series of training sessions for students and young professionals covering topics such as Additive Manufacturing and prototyping.