It has been estimated that 75% of the fastest growing occupations, including those in the creative industries and humanities, will require STEM related skills and knowledge. Critical thinking and problem-solving, analytic capabilities, curiosity and imagination have all been identified as critical ‘survival skills’ in the workplace of the future.
STEM
FUTURE
CAREERS
YET TO BE
WRITTEN
OUR STEM FOCUS
The Foundation has a current focus on increasing the engagement of girls in STEM education and building their confidence and capabilities in this area, so they are well prepared for the future.
In 2017 our first step was to commission a research piece to provide a current snapshot of girls and STEM using data from Australia and overseas. This research was undertaken by The University of Melbourne and Deakin University in partnership and culminated in Girls’ Future – Our Future, The Invergowrie Foundation STEM report.
Based on this initial research the Foundation identified 3 areas where it could contribute to the development of STEM education for girls and women in Victoria:
- The provision of scholarships that support quality students to continue their studies – the Foundation has re-established scholarships at the University of Melbourne to support young women undertaking postgraduate studies in a STEM area.
- The improvement of teaching and learning in STEM subjects at the primary level – partnerships have been developed with Swinburne University, Deakin University and Primary Connections that are building resources for use at both the primary and middle years of schooling and the development of a professional learning program for primary teachers to build the understanding and confidence of teachers in STEM subjects.
- Develop and build the capacity of career advisors and teachers.
Fig 3: A call to action: A roadmap for girls in STEM education (from Girls’ Future-Our Future, The Invergowrie Foundation STEM Report).
The Invergowrie Foundation launched Girls’ Future – Our Future, The Invergowrie Foundation STEM Report 2020 Update in October 2020 as a follow up to our initial research.
The Report takes a closer look at STEM education in the early years (0-8 years), STEM mentoring and role models and Career advice.
SCIENCE
TECH
ENGINEERING
MATHS
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS UNDERTAKING YEAR 12
MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
Advanced
Maths
Intermediate
Maths
Physics
Chemistry
Male Female
(Copied from Kaspura, 2017. P 36 with permission from Engineers Australia)
