Royal helps girls make a wise choice
The Princess Royal met girls from south Wales schools as part of an initiative to encourage more girls and young women to consider careers in science and technology.
The WISE Celebration of Talented Women brings together ministers, academics, businesses and schools who are backing the Welsh Government-commissioned report to address skills shortages by getting more women and girls into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Talented Women for a Successful Wales was commissioned by Prof Julie Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales. The report highlights education challenges, ranging from few primary school teachers having STEM backgrounds to the poor takeup of girls studying physics and computer science A-levels and in the workplace, leading to women working in less than one in six STEM jobs.
The report was co-chaired by Prof Karen Holford, new deputy vicechancellor of Cardiff University, and Prof Hilary Lappin-Scott, senior provice-chancellor of research and innovation at Swansea University. Both universities have plans to close their gender gaps, which could be worth an extra £8m in research grants in Wales.
“We have a ‘leaky pipeline’ when it comes to women and academic careers,” said Prof Lappin-Scott. “More girls than boys are studying science at degree level but this huge pool of talent is leaking away as men’s and women’s careers progress.”
Swansea University’s plans include targets for a 50-50 gender balance on all the institution’s senior committees by 2020, while Cardiff University plans to encourage further recruitment and career progression for female academics. Already seven out of 12 executive board members are women, above average for top UK universities.
Prof Holford explained the university’s programme to help female academic staff: “Participants spend time with a member of the university executive board for a very honest Q&A on their career path and share how they managed challenges. The feedback has been hugely positive and has motivated many colleagues to successfully apply for promotion.”
WISE patron the Princess Royal
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met 50 girls from eight Welsh schools taking part in People Like Me sessions, which allow girls to define themselves by adjectives such as organised, creative or friendly. They then relate their personality types to STEM careers and discuss these with young women in STEM jobs.
Helen Wollaston, chief executive of the WISE campaign which campaigns for gender balance in STEM, said: “Today’s event is an opportunity for us all to work with the Welsh Government, education and industry to get a positive message out to the next generation of girls in Wales and their families, inspiring them to choose science, technology and engineering for a brighter future.”
Julie James, Minister for Skills and Science, said: “The under-representation of women in the STEM workforce is a critical issue for Wales. The recommendations in the Talented Women for a Successful Wales report go some way to try and address this need and everyone has a role to play to encouraging more women and girls to pursue STEM opportunities and careers.”