Pull up a chair and let me warmly welcome you to the Women in STEM Education (WiSE) program. The WiSE program exists to help challenge gender disparity in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to a 2022 report from the Department of Industry, Science & Resources, the proportion of girls who know which subjects make up STEM increased by 24% between 2015 and 2020. This data includes all levels of STEM degrees and shows the percentage of women graduating with STEM degrees has been gradually increasing over time.
Data also shows that the fields with the lowest proportions of female graduates were mining (11%), engineering and related technologies (17%), and information technology (18%).
All identifying women who are enrolled in a STEM degree are automatically welcome into the WiSE program, aimed at supporting career development and equipping students with valuable knowledge, experiences, and lifelong skills to transition seamlessly into the workforce.
You may ask … how do we do that? Developed by careers education consultants, our program helps students build successful careers and improve the underrepresentation of identifying women in the STEM workforce. This involves professional development workshops and online sessions to help you maximise your skills and link you with real-life industry partners.
We also run exclusive employer visits, taking students to employer jobs sites and offices to walk through the day-to-day of their business. Finally, WiSE connects students with like-minded peers, alumni, and employers through access to exclusive in-person networking events and mentorship programs – which are available for final-year students.
Here’s what some of our former students have said about WiSE:
Credit: Mandii Carr
“Today I attended probably the best workshop of my life — for it did not only tackle my professional development but it also contributed to my personal development as a student, engineer, a woman, a professional.”
– Heimy Molina
“I am writing to just express my gratitude for all the amazing work you and the WiSE Team have done. Over the span of just a few months, I have been able to build such valuable communication skills, interviewing skills and building my professional profile – all thanks to the WiSE Tracker activities. The LinkedIn Networking workshop was so beneficial, and I am so glad I attended that! I was able to put all of those skills into practice and have secured really great opportunities as a result of that.”
– Janhavi Shinde
“This was an amazing experience, very liberating (especially being a woman) and having an insight of how skilled, intelligent and determined these women are! Thank you so much for the inspiration.”
– Romonda Eid
“All in all, I am very thankful for this [employer visit] experience because I got to have an insight into what a robotics company is like. Which is a very rare opportunity to find. I would highly recommend any of WiSE’s site visits, especially if they ever go back to Reach Robotics.”
– Linh Trinh
Interested in participating?
If you’re looking to make a difference and pursue a career in STEM, this program may be just what you’re looking for. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity – get in touch and connect with us! The WiSE team strongly encourages all eligible students to utilise this opportunity and we invite you to join the WiSE community on various platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, WESTERNLife and Instagram. Check out the WiSE website to access the online learning modules, mentoring and other helpful content.
If you have any questions about WiSE, please contact the team at wise@westernsydney.edu.au for more information.
