Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet - Australian Government

08/17/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/16/2022 19:17

The Office for Women supporting women in STEM

As part of National Science Week, the Office for Women is highlighting 10 organisations that are delivering projects under the Women's Leadership and Development Program (WLDP) to increase women's representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The projects aim to address employment barriers and challenge gender stereotypes. Combined, the 10 organisations will provide over 2,800 women and girls across Australia with skills, experience, networks and employment opportunities to enter and increase their leadership opportunities in today's evolving digital STEM sectors.

Big HART Inc's Positive Futures will support around 60 young women aged 13 to 20 in regional, rural and remote areas to build new pathways to STEM education and careers. This is being achieved through an engaging, task focused workshop program that explores the physical environment of the North West Coast and assists local organisations to document unmapped areas using drone technology.

Medical Research Commercialisation Fund Pty Ltd's Women in Leadership Development(WILD) tackles common barriers to career progression and sector retention faced by women employed in the STEM sector. WILD is providing 75 women with the qualifications, skills, and networks to attain senior leadership and board positions. Across the three years of the program, around 390 women will also attend the WILD diversity and inclusion training and be provided with tools and solutions to reduce unconscious and conscious bias in the workplace.

SpaceCubed Ventures Pty Ltd's She Codes Plus - Emergence provides women an alternative learning pathway into the tech sector by teaching content development from beginner through to junior developer. Up to 80 participants will undertake unique activities to learn skills such as: HTML/CSS, Python, React, building web and mobile apps, processing data and presentation skills.

Strategy Matrix Pty Ltd's Women's STEM JumpStart project delivers foundation skills and grassroots capacity building. Up to 210 young regional women will jumpstart their career through boot camps, mentoring and business networking opportunities across the agriculture, agtech, food production, natural resources, environmental science and information and digital technology sectors.

The Australian Power Institute Limited's POWERfulWOMEN project will support up to 1,770 women to build engineering careers and leadership roles in the Australian power sector through a 12 month program. This program will deliver live and online activities, skill building and mentoring and establish the foundation for a sustainable program that will transform the participation of women in the sector.

The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health's Enabling STEM Women to Win Grants and Lead Research project will support up to 159 women. They will gain skills to articulate the value of their research, build capacity to apply for and successfully secure research funding and support career progression. It aims to help retain women in STEM research careers and boost the number of women at leadership levels.

The Solution Network Australia Ltd's Women's Digital Mastery project will support up to 40 regional women to gain the essential skills, knowledge and training qualifications required to work in the digital technology age.

Tumby Bay Progress Association Inc's JobPathways for Women @ Tumby Bay Skills Centre project supports women to develop skills for employment and workforce participation through a Learning Hub. Through facilitated learning, the Hub supports around 50 women to gain not only STEM skills focussing on digital literacy but also supports their learning ability, agility and resilience skills.

Western Sydney Women Pty Ltd's Women of Western Sydney project addresses the full career lifecycle of girls and women in the Western Sydney Region. The program is comprised of four courses which will promote STEM career participation, STEM career networking and leadership, financial and job confidence, and career growth mentoring for up to 130 girls and women.

Whittlesea Community Connections Inc's Women's Employment and Empowerment Project in Whittlesea supports the creation of employment pathways for around 300 women by delivering job focused courses and trade tasters across horticulture, agriculture, trades, IT and STEM.

The WLDP, managed by the Office for Women, aims to improve gender equality by increasing leadership and economic participation opportunities for women in Australia, and building a safer, more respectful society. You can read more about the projects funded under WLDP by visiting Office for Women grants and funding website page.