DOE encourages young women to join the energy workforce
TANAUAN CITY, Batangas – The Department of Energy (DOE) continues to invite more young women into the field of science, technology and engineering, as part of its strategy for energy security of the country.
On 28 June 2018, the DOE held its 12th ENEReady event for 160 Grade 10 students in Tanauan City High School, with the theme “Breaking Gender Stereotyping in the Energy Workforce.” Through this program, the DOE is encouraging students to enroll in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Track in Grade 11. The DOE, through its Gender and Development advocacy, is also focusing on women to harness their potential as they constitute half of the Philippine population.
During the event, the students were provided insights on technical career opportunities in the energy industry by linking them with the different bureau functions of the agency. At the same time, they were introduced to the concept of energy resiliency.
The lady speakers from the DOE Renewable Energy Management Bureau and Energy Resource Development Bureau shared their work experiences, as well as the benefits that they derive from their respective vocations in the energy department. They emphasized that among the adaptive capacity indicators of a country is the number of engineering graduates per year, as a percentage of the total population. For the Philippines, this stood at a meager 0.07% in 2016.
The school’s principal Lilibeth L. Cabrera expressed her appreciation to the DOE for presenting a wide array of technical disciplines in the energy sector, as well as the various opportunities in energy industry. She said that before the ENEReady Program, their career counselling was limited to the more common jobs available in the market, such as nursing, medicine, accounting, and information technology.
The Batangas event was held in collaboration with the Junior Chamber International’s (formerly the Philippine Jaycees, Inc.) Tanauan Mabini Chapter, through its President, Anna Marie Quarer and Engr. Edison Subala.
DOE-Consumer Welfare and Promotion Office headed by Division Chief Helen B. Arias spearheaded the ENEReady Program. Since its inception in 2016, the program already inspired more than 2,000 students to take up engineering and science courses.