Shortage of Women Taking STEM Subjects

RECENT figures reveal that women account for less than 30% of those graduating in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths), excluding medicine and health.
 Helen Wollaston is director of WISE, whose mission it is to promote female talent in STEM from classroom to boardroom believes part of the reason for the shortage is a lack of awareness about the various opportunities available. She said: “I think the main problem is that girls often have a limited view of engineering.”
The fact that it’s both a trade and a profession, with opportunities at many levels and across many industries, is a real challenge to get across. Also, the current shortage of women in engineering means there aren’t enough female role models for them to aspire to. “Art and design is a key part of engineering, so someone who likes those subjects and can keep up with maths could have a great career combining both.” Earlier this year Northern Ireland ministers helped launch a campaign to get more women into advanced manufacturing and engineering careers as well as management positions in industry.
The ‘Women into STEM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programme aims to:
• Support 20 SMEs and four large companies to develop 50 females in a successful career in STEM roles.
 • Promote STEM to 1,000 school girls.
• Establish a women’s network to mentor and support women and girls. Joanne Iceton, Semta’s head of communications and public affairs, who attended the event said, “This initiative is exactly the sort of thing that Semta wish to promote and work with employers, schools and individuals to ensure that we secure the talent pipeline for advanced manufacturing and engineering across the UK.  “We not only need more women to enter the industry but we also need to help them progress into management positions and the board room.” 
Also at the event was Sandra Overend, patron of Women in STEM in Northern Ireland. 
She told the audience while girls were outperforming boys at school not enough were going on to what still male-dominated careers are. “It is vital women aim higher,” she said. “The key is effective support to help the next generation. This programme will help address the gen-der bias, a move which is so important for the future of Northern Ireland:’ 
At the International Business Women’s Conference in Belfast earlier this year the minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, ad-dressed the conference delegates on the need for increased numbers of women in senior leadership and management positions, as well as encouraging greater uptake by females of STEM careers. 
He said: “The future of our economy depends upon maximising levels of participation, including from women, and driving up skills levels, including in the crucial STEM areas.”
However, there are clear impediments to women entering the most lucrative and dynamic areas of our economy, and also to remaining and progressing in the workplace, including to the highest levels of leadership.
“Upon leaving school, females tend to be better qualified than males. Women are also more likely to progress to higher education with around 60% of our university enrolments being female. How-ever, women account for less than 30% of those graduating in STEM subjects, excluding medicine and health. We need to encourage young women to consider STEM subjects and careers?’ 
Gillian Winters, chief executive of the Engineering Training Council of Northern Ireland, believes many employers are already having difficulty recruiting and retaining employees in the sector and that more must be done to support businesses and encourage women within the industry. 
She said “Some eight out of ten businesses are working with schools so they are aware of the problem. This programme will support those businesses with gender balance while empowering individual women to develop their careers. We must challenge the stereotyping which still exists, especially in engineering.”