EESW Brings Women in STEM event to the Senedd
On Tuesday 4th June 2024, EESW hosted a Girls into STEM Panel Q&A event at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff to celebrate the good work that is being done across Wales to encourage more women into STEM careers.
The event, which was organised in partnership with Bute Energy, was chaired by EESW CEO Rebecca Davies and there was plenty of inspiring and thought-provoking discussion on topics surrounding female role models in STEM and what successful programmes are out there to encourage more girls to pursue careers in these fields and support our Girls into STEM initiative. The insights shared were invaluable and will surely help shape a brighter future for women and girls in STEM.
Interesting statistics reveal that while there are now over one million women working in STEM occupations, they still make up only 29% of the total STEM workforce. Additionally, research has indicated that a third of people actually in STEM workplaces believe that not enough progress has been made in reducing gender-based discrimination. According to the recent Engineering UK and Royal Society survey, just 16% of girls think an engineering career is suitable for them.
Thank you to our incredible panellists Catryn Newton from Bute Energy, Alice Rothwell from BBC Wales and Dr Mabrouka Abuhmida from University of South Wales. Their expertise and passion were evident in the discussions and provided much food for thought for attendees.
We were pleased to be joined by female pupils from Cardinal Newman RC School, Cantonian High School & Bishop of Llandaff High School with whom the panellists were keen to share their words of wisdom and stories on non-linear career paths and how to overcome ‘imposter’ syndrome! Following the Q&A session, attendees were invited to network over lunch and have a go at our new Spheros coding activity.
We would like to extend our gratitude to Natasha Asghar MS, for her inspiring opening address that set the tone for the day's discussions and Welsh Government Education Directorate for their continued funding which enables us to host events such as these.
