Addressing gender balance - reaping
the gender dividend in STEM
Lorna McAlpine
STEM Business Co-ordinator
E-mail: lorna.mcalpine@stembusinessgroupni.com
STEM Business Subgroupfocus on 5 recommendations from
Success through STEM strategy
including:
•Develop a clear STEM careers path
and
• Address gender balance
•Develop STEM links in other regions
Activities to address gender balance
• Devised and consulted on a set of Good Practice
Guidelines for addressing gender balance in STEM
industries
• Ran an event ’ Are you getting the balance right?’
on 26 June to engage STEM employers and start
to capture ideas and good practice- 70 attended
• Developed and consulted on a STEM Charter for
CEOs; in partnership with Equality Commission NI
• Gathered 7 Good Practice Case Studies
• Published STEM supplement in Belfast Telegraph–
17 Sept- featuring female role models
Addressing Gender Balance-Report
published November 2013
• The Business Case for Gender Equality in
STEM –’employ more women and make more
money’
• Statistics for NI – 11 % employed in high level
STEM posts only 25% are women
• NI STEM CEO Charter
• Good Practice Guidelines – 22 simple steps
for pre- and post –recruitment
• Case Studies
Case Studies from report
• Schlumberger female engineering scholarship, girls’
schools’ open days
• NIE and Schrader - female role models in advertising
and as STEM ambassadors and as Mentors
• Ulster Bank- IT, female networking for career
development
• Allstate, extensive range of family friendly initiatives retention
• Atkins – Women’s Leadership Council , Women’s
Development Programme
• Queen’s University – Athena Swann award holdersCultural issues
What’s Next ?
• Work with Equality Commission NI to publish
Good Practice Manual
• Sign up more firms to the Charter
• Organise seminars to discuss the manual
• Organise a network of STEM employers to
partner and implement the guidelines
• Continue to take opportunities to
communicate about the report
Why ... because..
‘STEM- It’s where the jobs are’
Belfast Met Website
Link for STEM supplement:
http://www.matrix-ni.org/#/stem/4575908443
Link for Addressing Gender Balance Report:
http://www.matrix-ni.org/#/stem-news/4580773501