Addressing gender balance - reaping the gender dividend in

STEM

Lorna McAlpineSTEM Business Co-ordinator

E-mail: lorna.mcalpine@stembusinessgroupni.com

STEM Business Subgroup-

focus on 5 recommendations fromSuccess through STEM strategy including:

• Develop a clear STEM careers path and

• Address gender balance• Develop STEM links in other regions

Activities to address gender balance

• Devised and consulted on a set of Good Practice Guidelines for addressing gender balance in STEM industries

• Ran an event ’ Are you getting the balance right?’ on 26 June to engage STEM employers and start to capture ideas and good practice- 70 attended

• Developed and consulted on a STEM Charter for CEOs; in partnership with Equality Commission NI

• Gathered 7 Good Practice Case Studies• Published STEM supplement in Belfast Telegraph–

17 Sept- featuring female role models

Addressing Gender Balance-Report published November 2013

• The Business Case for Gender Equality in STEM –’employ more women and make more money’

• Statistics for NI – 11 % employed in high level STEM posts only 25% are women

• NI STEM CEO Charter • Good Practice Guidelines – 22 simple steps for

pre- and post –recruitment• Case Studies

Case Studies from report

• Schlumberger female engineering scholarship, girls’ schools’ open days

• NIE and Schrader - female role models in advertising and as STEM ambassadors and as Mentors

• Ulster Bank- IT, female networking for career development• Allstate, extensive range of family friendly initiatives -

retention • Atkins – Women’s Leadership Council , Women’s

Development Programme• Queen’s University – Athena Swann award holders- Cultural

issues

What’s Next ?

• Work with Equality Commission NI to publish Good Practice Manual

• Sign up more firms to the Charter• Organise seminars to discuss the manual• Organise a network of STEM employers to

partner and implement the guidelines• Continue to take opportunities to

communicate about the report

Why ... because..‘STEM- It’s where the jobs are’

Belfast Met WebsiteLink for STEM supplement:

http://www.matrix-ni.org/#/stem/4575908443Link for Addressing Gender Balance Report:

http://www.matrix-ni.org/#/stem-news/4580773501