Women get support to enter agri-tech field
A NEW STEM and agriculture project aimed at supporting talented girls into careers in the agri-tech sector has attracted 68 teacher applicants, for 15 places.
Applications for the Women in Agri-tech project led by CQUniversity Australia were sought from female STEM, digital technology and agriculture teachers from rural, regional and remote Australia. Project leader and researcher Dr Amy Cosby says the 15 selected teachers will attend the Women in Agritech Symposium in Brisbane in early February 2019.
“They will learn about the latest and emerging agri-tech and participate in a program run by River City Labs about the entrepreneurial process,” she says. Dr Cosby says the agricultural industry is changing, demanding a workforce with a higher degree of digital literacy and STEM skills.
“Of primary concern is the lack of women in leadership positions in agricultural businesses, with only 14 per cent of females in management roles and representing only 18 per cent of people on boards.
“To change this trend, the next generation of young women need to be inspired and encouraged to consider a future in agri-tech.”
Humpty Doo teacher Natasha Burrows is one of a handful of teachers in Australia selected for a new school-based project aimed at getting girls into the agri-tech sector. The Taminmin College teacher said she was excited to bring back what she’ll learn to her students back home in the Territory.
“I think this project will help debunk those misheld beliefs that ag is a man’s job” she said.