Women make up just 16 per cent of the 2.3 million STEM-qualified Australians. The most glaring gap is in engineering and related technologies which are just 14 per cent female. As a result, we see a waste in both talent and economy as many university-qualified women in STEM choose not to pursue careers in the industry. To address this gap, the federal government has allocated almost $20 million to encourage students to focus on STEM subjects.

Akolade’s Boosting Women in STEM focuses on the link between tertiary education and industry and driving female STEM students from higher education into productive careers. The event provides tertiary facilities with practical strategies proven to attract and achieve a higher female enrolment in STEM subjects. Universities, TAFEs and VETs will learn how they can best prepare their STEM female under-graduates for working in male-dominated industries. Boosting Women in STEM delivers insightful case studies on leading joint education-industry practices to ensure graduates gain stable, long term employment. The conference also provides STEM industries with insights into developing and nurturing a long-term talent pool through collaborations and engagements with tertiary educational providers.

Takes place in Sydney, 28th-30th September 2016.

Find out more here.