About 100 secondary school students from Melbourne’s west attended the Wyndham Tech School to hear from female role models about navigating a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The seminar was held as part of the school’s GirlsCAN initiative to shed light on the low uptake of girls into STEM careers.
Wyndham Tech School director Gail Bray, said girls and women under-representation in STEM was growing, with bias and stereotyping shaping their views on career opportunities from an early age.
“Through this event, young women in Wyndham have met inspiring women working in the digital technology sector, opening their eyes to careers they never knew existed or thought possible,” they said.
The number of Australian women working in STEM-qualified industries is at 28 per cent, as reported by The Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The students, from Truganina P-9 College, Mount St Joseph Girls’ College and Williamstown High School, heard from women in a range of technology roles across several sectors, including Amazon Web Services Australia/New Zealand Director of Infrastructure, Pelagia Markogiannakis.
The two hour event included a panel interview session followed by a speed networking activity where students could quiz the mentors about their jobs, their career journeys and share advice from their experiences.
