In a bid to encourage more female involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based careers, the federal government has handed out the first round of its AU$8 million (approx $6 million) fund to women in STEM.
AU$3.9 million in funding will be spread across 24 organizations to roll out projects aimed at building interest in STEM for primary school age students, supporting post-graduates and women already pursuing STEM careers, and encouraging entrepreneurship among women.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joined Innovation Minister Greg Hunt and quantum computing pioneer Professor Michelle Simmons to announce the funding, which is the first round of the $8 million for Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grant program under the ‘ideas boom’ National Innovation and Science Agenda.
According to the government, 55 percent of STEM graduates are female, but only one in four IT graduates and one in 10 engineering graduates are women. Women also occupy fewer than one in five senior researcher positions in Australian universities and research institutes, and are less than half the overall STEM workforce.
In a statement issued by Turnbull on Tuesday, it was said that the newly-funded projects are part of a “concerted, national effort” to overcome the cultural, institutional, and organizational factors that discourage girls and women from studying STEM and choosing careers that require STEM skills.
The Melbourne-based Girl Geek Academy focuses on girls aged 5-8 years with one-day hackathon events, as well as online training and ongoing support. CEO Sarah Moran said the government had been extremely supportive and collaborative of her initiative. She further added,
The best part about the actual grant process was the government said show us your ideas, show us what’s working and let us help you accelerate it. Rather than being prescriptive about what the government thinks will help, they’ve actually asked us to propose solutions and got behind us to deliver them.
Other organizations to receive funding include the Canberra-based CBR Innovation, which offers 10-week programs for girls in Canberra that include skills workshops, career presentations, field trips and female mentoring.
The Geelong Manufacturing Council helps develop careers for women from the Geelong area in manufacturing and engineering through presentations, workshops, networking and mentor training, while Verco Engineering from Clare in South Australia, will offer 11 workshops aimed at up to 1000 year 9 and 10 girls in regional South Australia.
