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Attracting and supporting young women in STEM
Geraldine Wooley22 March 2016
Policy and practice Employer organisations and staff
Women professionals and employees
Women students and career entrants:
Careerwise - HE Interconnect – FE and
HEWomen in
ConstructionModern Apprentices
Project - Schools
Challenges faced by young women: - highly segregated sectors:
- engineering (2% female apprentices) - construction (1.5% female apprentices)- IT – 17% undergraduates
- isolation/exclusion and peer group pressure
- confidence and skills
- a “suitable job for a woman”
Career decisions: what are the influences?Research evidence: - Parents and family main influence in career choice
- Work experience significant factor in career decisions
Career?
Employer attitudes:
- reluctance to take “girls” - small contractors: loss of confidence/ peer pressure - lack of transparency and professionalism in recruitment
BUT: women very well accepted once on site!
Diversity in Construction
Employer views:- industry suitable for women- education system needs to change attitudes- societal pressures against women entering the sector
BUT: there were a few dinosaurs!
Modern Apprenticeships project: - Work with industry (engineering and construction)
- Support and encourage young women in schools, colleges and as they enter apprenticeships
- Convince parents, careers advisors and employers
How similar is this to the IT/Gaming sector? - Industry structure: fragmentation + multi-nationals
- Education, careers advisers and society discourage it as a career destination for young women?
- Young women lack knowledge and experience of the sector
What will make a difference? - Make young women welcome
- Role models, work experience/shadowing- Employer engagement/girls only sessions- Support in college – Women in Construction and Interconnect
- Adapt recruitment to attract young women- Language- Essential vs desirable skills, some focus on “softer” skills- Where posts are advertised (avoid word-of-mouth recruitment)- Emphasize social context- Positive action rather than normalisation
- Change perceptions of the industry - Sustained engagement with parents, career advisers and teachers - Embed gender at the start of an initiative, not an “add-on”
