Girls can explore their future careers in STEM

Girls will enjoy hands-on experiences at STEM workshops
Girls will enjoy hands-on experiences at STEM workshops

Hundreds of school girls will explore careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at Glasgow Caledonian University as the University continues its drive to encourage more young women into the field.

Around 470 girls from 23 schools will try fun workshops in areas such as robotics, games design, coding, building, and water treatment, and hear from women working in STEM with industry leaders such as EDF Energy, BAE Systems, Babcock International Group, Thales and GSK about their own journeys.

It’s the fourth time GCU has teamed up with charitable organisation SmartSTEMs to host the annual event, which is once again supported by EDF Energy.

GCU’s Dr Tuleen Boutaleb, Senior Lecturer in Telecommunications and Electronics, said: “We’re thrilled to once again be offering girls an opportunity to explore for themselves the exciting opportunities open to them in careers in fields such as engineering and computing.

“GCU was the first Scottish university to team up with SmartSTEMs and, as a pioneer, we are delighted to see this fun and exciting event now being embraced and replicated by so many other institutions across the country. The event promotes STEM to pupils aged 10 to 14 - a crucial period before choosing their subject paths at school - and opens up so many possibilities for the future.”

Stuart Macdonald, SmartSTEMs Founder, said: "We are delighted to pull together many wonderful industry partners and scores of generous volunteers to deliver this great event for these young girls and are proud to be playing our part in making Scotland a great place to discover and pursue STEM careers.”

Louise Morran, an EDF Energy engineer based at Hunterston B power station, will speak at the event. She said: “Since I became an engineer I’ve seen the number of women entering the industry increase, but there are still too few. Right now, only one in four people working in core STEM industries in Scotland is a woman.

“I’m delighted that EDF Energy is supporting these events. We want to open girls’ eyes, along with those of their parents and teachers, to the variety of jobs available in these industries. Giving them the chance to hear from women working in these jobs and to find out about the range of careers they could enter can do just that.”