Middle school students in Alpharetta are diving into the world of FinTech through a new program from Fiserv (NYSE: FI).
Last week the payments giant rolled out its hands-on STEAM program FIN Future Techies, an experiential twelve-week program for 60 students at the charter school Amana Academy in Metro Atlanta.
The goal is to help students in the fifth through eighth grades better understand the fintech world.
Students will be introduced to weekly “Techie Tracks” on topics like the evolution of money, cybersecurity, AI, and entrepreneurship. Fiserv engineers and fintech experts will run each session.
Local Fintech Impact
Fiserv has its office in the Alpharetta area. The program highlights the company’s commitment to “giving back to the communities where we – and our families – live and work,” said Linda Wellbrock, VP of Community Relations & Strategic Partnerships.
“The FIN Future techies program allows children in our community to experience a unique, real-world curriculum that can help prepare them to make decisions about their future and inspire them to pursue their dream careers,” Wellbrock told Hypepotamus. “FIN Future Techies is also an early investment in long-term workforce development strategy for Fiserv. We hope to ignite the spark of passion for financial technology and STEAM learning that will be carried throughout the child’s life. And when it is time to enter the workforce, we hope we are their employer of choice.”
This is the first time Fiserv, a Wisconsin-based company, is running such a program in Georgia. FIN Future Techies originally started in New Jersey, where Fiserv houses its innovation center. The program has helped 120 students to date.
The program plans to expand into other cities where Fiserv has a presence, according to a company press statement.
It is all about ensuring that future leaders in the fintech world come from diverse backgrounds.
“Financial technology is a dynamic and rapidly changing landscape, and requires bright and diverse minds to lead us into a future that will be shaped by innovation and all of its implications,” Herbert Fredrick, Georgia-based Senior Vice President of Fiserv’s Cloud and Technology Operations, told Hypepotamus. “Fiserv, as a leading fintech, recognizes we have a chance to shape this future by introducing students to the opportunities they have to contribute across this broad and rapidly evolving industry, which will have an outsize impact on people’s daily lives. We’re proud to have a hand in building the next generation of technology leaders.”