Talent, like STEM, has no gender

International Women in Engineering Day

Madrid / 23 June 2020

Grappling with the technological transformation of entire economies and ensuring the transition to a low-carbon energy model will require all available talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)--regardless of gender.

However, girls are still a clear minority in technical careers, even though the university degrees with best job prospects are related to STEM disciplines. Even at SGRE, women make up only 13% of the IT, Engineering, and R&D workforce. That's why we made one of the four objectives of the Diversity strategy to increase the number of women in the company.

Technological Education Program Officer
On the International Day of Women in Engineering, Siemens Gamesa wants to reaffirm its commitment to female talent with a series of initiatives such as "Bringing Diversity in STEAM". This program that add to STEM disciplines arts and humanities fields such as writing, consists of mentoring programs in primary and secondary schools prepared by SGRE women who will explain what it is really like to study and work in STEM fields. This initiative was already launched in Spain; if you did not see the video, click here.

Up! Steam, the project that stimulates young talent
© Real Academia de Ingeniería

Siemens Gamesa has also signed an agreement with the Royal Spanish Academy of Engineering to help encourage young women to choose STEM careers.

Traditionally, scientific and technical careers have been chosen mostly by boys. Although it is true that the share of women has been growing over the years, it is still far from parity.

According to an OECD report, "ABC of Gender Equality in Education," the lower presence of girls in technical careers is due to many factors including less confidence in their own abilities; preference for socially-oriented careers; social stereotypes and expectations; and the lack of role models.

'Mujer e Ingeniería' is a program that aims to spark the interest of girls and young women in Spain in engineering studies, to support the incorporation of women in this professional field, and to encourage and support them throughout their careers.

It includes a series of initiatives targeting a range of ages, from high school to postgraduate students, but with one point in common: mentoring as the most powerful instrument for awakening vocations.

It offers opportunities for women in their final year of their undergraduate degree or master's degree to enhance their employability thanks to the support of engineering professionals. It also includes a program called TECHMI where students aged 12 to 16 learn about programming and mechanical engineering and participate in a nationwide team competition where challenges are designed to demonstrate the social utility of STEM and engineering. Participants receive the support of the mentored university women which in turn become the mentors for a next batch of women engineers.

No company, nor society at large, can afford to waste talent because of gender. Our goal at Siemens Gamesa is to replicate these kinds of value-add activities and initiatives to unleash the full potential of all our future engineers, scientists, designers, and technicians--and that starts with getting girls and young women in STEM.

Traditionally, scientific and technical careers have been chosen mostly by boys © Real Academia de Ingeniería

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