At Dallam, we aim to encourage the ambitions and talents of all our students. We want students to follow their interests into careers they excel at and enjoy.
Last week, we were pleased to welcome Dr Liz Edwards and Dr Lynne Blair from Lancaster University’s Computing department to talk to our Year 9 girls about considering careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) ahead of them choosing their GCSE/KS4 options. (Year 9 Options Evening: 19 January 2023)
The speakers informed our students about many aspects of STEM careers: dispelling myths and stereotypes and opening their eyes to the fantastic opportunities within the field.
The key points they wanted the girls to go away with were:
- females make up 21% of the average GCSE Computer Science classes
- 40.6% of female students are awarded a grade 7(A) compared with 32.3% of boys
- the increasing technologisation of work and society as a whole means that technology is a growing industry
- the skills shortage in STEM subjects means that a wider pool of candidates is needed
- the high pay commanded by some computer science roles means that if women are excluded from the sector that would lead to a greater pay gap and greater power imbalance
- women being included in industry means a broader spectrum of ideas and diversity of thought and therefore better problem solving
- “companies with above-average gender and racial/ethnic diversity are 8x more likely to be in the top 10% of organizations for financial performance”
Read more about women in STEM in this BBC Bitesize article – https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zm9cvk7.
Please encourage your child to think carefully when choosing their options and encourage them to take part in our STEM-related extra-curricular clubs if they have a natural talent or interest in these areas.