CETIN Hungary, Hungary's first mobile telecommunications infrastructure service provider, in partnership with the Association of Hungarian Women in Science (NaTE) organized the second edition of the STEMpowered by CETIN complex talent program in the 2024/25 academic year. Based on the feedback from participating secondary school girls, the program has successfully met its goal: to showcase the exciting opportunities of STEM-careers - science, technology, engineering, mathematics - to girls who are about to choose their career.

STEMpowered by CETIN supports career guidance by developing key skills essential for conscious career planning, giving participating girls in 10th to 12th grades a sense of success. Based on the experiences of the previous year, the most beneficial aspect for the participating students was the development of soft skills that are useful in real life, but which do not receive sufficient attention in the traditional school system. This is why the program organizers focused most of their attention on the development of these skills this year. Through group sessions, the girls were able to improve their self-awareness, creativity and communication skills, and career orientation was further supported by institutional visits and CETIN employee coaching sessions.

The program’s success was also confirmed by a survey conducted among participants. The girls' self-awareness significantly improved: they gained a clearer understanding of their strengths and of what they need to improve. They have also gained confidence through the implementation of projects, something they had multiple opportunities to practice during the program. By the end of the school year, they also felt more capable of competing with others in areas they feel confident in.

A new feature of this season was the involvement of a "class teacher", who helped to build team cohesion and ensured the smooth execution of the program. In addition, experienced and knowledgeable CETIN colleagues ("buddies") introduced the girls to the everyday realities of STEM careers through career talks. At the end of the program, participants had the opportunity to present their experiences and newly acquired knowledge through a creative competition. The four winners - first, second and shared third place – receive valuable cash prizes.

Previous research¹ by CETIN Hungary revealed that the lack of a supportive environment is one of the main reasons why fewer girls choose engineering and technology careers, and that most career decisions are already made by the end of secondary school. As one of the participants in this year's talent program emphasized: "Boys are often favored by default, I often feel that I perform better than boys in certain subjects, yet I am still unsure whether I should do physics or engineering. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't understand things, while the boys certainly do. I think a lot of other girls feel this way. There's a reason why no other girls from my class chose advanced physics course."

Now entering its second year, STEMpowered by CETIN aimed to show girls facing their career choice an alternative they rarely or never think about and help break down the barriers they face. According to one girl student, "The program strengthened my interest in STEM sciences, developed my personality, provided me with knowledge that is extremely useful yet never discussed in school." And this is how another participant answered the question of what she gained from the program: "Broader knowledge in certain topics, an understanding and inspiring environment, role models to look up to, new acquaintances, and lots of opportunities" - this is exactly what CETIN Hungary aims to offer to the secondary school girls participating in the STEMpowered program.

¹ The survey was conducted using the Opinio market research app, with 1,258 respondents interviewed between 23 and 26 August 2023. The results are nationally representative of Hungarians aged 16–59 with a smartphone, by age, gender, education, and type and place of residence.