Northern Regional College is a lead partner in the project and the only FE College among the fifteen international partners.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is #EachforEqual and next week’s events are to promote opportunities for students by highlighting the College’s engagement with partner organisations.
Professor Terri Scott, Principal and Chief Executive of the Northern Regional College said International Women’s Day #EachforEqual theme and the College’s involvement in W-STEM were double cause for celebration.
“The objectives of #EachforEqual and the W-STEM project dovetail really well with the College’s vision and values.
“Our vision is to be an outstanding provider of training and education focussed on the needs of society and the modern economy and one of the College’s key values to promote respect. An equal world is an enabled world and by working together, we can work challenge stereotypes and achieve equality.”
Engineering lecturer Ruth Walker is a strong advocate of encouraging women to pursue careers in traditionally male dominated professions. Outlining the programme of events planned for next week, she said that while there are growing employment opportunities for women, female students are still generally under-represented in STEM subjects.
On Monday, March 9 the College will host an informal gathering of female STEM staff (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) in the Business Engagement room at Newtownabbey campus.
She explained: “As a College we want to promote equality within the subject areas of STEM. This will be an opportunity to brainstorm for ideas on promoting STEM courses and to share their expertise and success in attracting females to their respective subject areas with their colleagues. The key themes coming out of the discussions will then be disseminated to our education partners in South America.”
On Tuesday 10 March, Paula O’Connell, Senior Learning and Development Specialist with Sensata Technologies will talk to engineering students about apprenticeship opportunities within Sensata and give them an insight into what it’s like to work in a male work environment. Paula will also explain the journey of a former Northern Regional College student who has recently completed her apprenticeship with Sensata, which is one of the world's leading suppliers of sensing, electrical protection, control and power management solutions.
As a demonstration of the College’s commitment to supporting the W-STEM project, two new staff and student awards categories will be announced next week. The staff award will be for the male or female staff member who has actively promoted/encouraged women in STEM subjects. The student award will be for the highest performing or most inspirational female STEM student. Full details of the awards and the nomination process to follow.
On Thursday 12 March, Year 10 pupils from local post primary schools will go head to head at the annual Schools’ Technology Challenge. Hosted by Northern Regional College in partnership with the Rotary Ballymena, the initiative is to promote a greater awareness of STEM subjects in a fun and innovative way.
These events are designed to highlight the importance of STEM subjects to a wider audience and are part of the College’s overall strategy to equip students with the skills need to compete successfully in the global workplace and meet the needs of local employers.
#EachforEqual