October 5, 2016, by Zoë Goodwin
It’s all about the girls: Looking beyond Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), but in order to move forward we have to acknowledge the challenges we still face. A 2011 report from CBI found that more than half (52%) of UK STEM employers expected to struggle to find employees in the near future, while at the same time almost half (48%) of 14-16 year olds reported that they received poor advice or no advice at all from a careers service.
Essentially, we are struggling to inspire girls to go into STEM careers. In 2014/5, only 16.9% of ICT apprenticeships, 8.2% of Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies apprenticeships and just 1.7% of Construction, Planning & the Built Environment apprenticeships in the UK were completed by women.
That’s where Stemettes come in. Ann-Marie Imafidon is no stranger to achievement at a young age, taking her Maths and ICT GCSES at age 10 and setting a world record when she passed A-Level Computing at age 11, but now she is campaigning to inspire a new generation of young girls. More than 7000 girls have attended Stemette Experiences, and Ann-Marie has also founded the world’s first tech incubator for teenage girls.
On Tuesday 11 October, Ann-Marie will be joining the University of Nottingham for an hour of conversation to share her experiences as a business leader in her own right (listed as one of Management Today’s 35 Under 35 and featured on the Timewise List of 50 Power Part Timers)as well as her insight into how we can strengthen the pipeline of women going into STEM careers.
The University of Nottingham has, since 2005, been committed to the Athena SWAN principles which recognises the work undertaken to advance the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Maths) subjects in higher education and research. This has recently been expanded to also consider work in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law subjects, and in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, including where men or people of other genders may be impacted or disadvantaged, and not just barriers to progression that affect women. The University currently holds a silver Athena SWAN award as an institution, and twelve of our Schools and Faculties hold additional departmental awards.
BOOK YOUR PLACE
Date and Time
Tuesday 11 October 2016, 12.00 – 13:30
Location
A09, Engineering and Science Learning Centre, University Park Campus
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