Our students had the opportunity to participate in the SLASSCOM STEM4Her workshop held on 21st November at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Malabe. This initiative, organized by SLASSCOM in collaboration with LSEG, aimed to inspire and empower young women in STEM by providing hands-on exposure to real-world applications in the IT and BPM industry. Dr. Surani and Dr. Umanda, along with instructors Ms. Minushika and Ms. Vinodya from the Department of Computer Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, joined the program together with 30 female students from the CS and ICT degree programs, representing first-, second-, and third-year students.
During the workshop, students gained practical experience in designing solutions to real-world problems, developed a clear understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and learned how projects are managed in real software industry environments. They also had the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, including Project Manager Mr. Prabhath Gunawardhana, Associate Software Architect Ms. Gimhani Kankanamge, Senior Software Engineer Ms. Buddhini Edirisinghe, Director of Delivery at LSEG Ms. Vidumini Ranasinghe, and SLASSCOM representative Ms. Rochelle Gomez, along with many other professionals.
Students worked in groups to complete a simple end-to-end project that included business analysis, coding, and quality assurance (QA) components under expert supervision. The program also provided valuable opportunities to explore industry career paths and build professional connections, enhancing their understanding of real-world IT and BPM environments.