Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29061
Title: Balancing the equation: A mentoring program for first year female students
Contributor(s): Smith, Erica  (author)orcid ; Harris, Katherine (author); Iamsuk, Nansiri (author); McGuren, Therese (author); Miller, Jennifer (author); Wilkes, Janelle  (author)orcid ; Reid, Jackie  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2015-12
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29061
Abstract: Women are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines internationally. For example, in the USA females are estimated to represent only 24% of this workforce and the proportion of females employed in these careers is half the number of female graduates. Furthermore, women who have advanced degrees in these disciplines are far more likely to leave related occupations than women in other professions. In Australia, within the Prime STEM disciplines - which include chemistry - only 33% of graduates are female and only 12% of the associated workforce is female.
A 2013 report from the Australian Council of Learned Academies includes two key findings; the use of mentoring programs, and course and career counselling to effectively encourage young women to follow STEM career pathways. In 2015 a project that is designed to assist first year female students to make a successful transition to an ongoing career in these fields is being implemented at a regional Australian university. There are two key objectives. Firstly, to identify issues that students perceive as possible hurdles to a successful progression through their studies and onto a career in these disciplines. Secondly, to provide a multifaceted mentoring program that will assist in recognising, understanding and addressing potential issues and roadblocks to a sustained and successful career, help build confidence in pursuing career goals, and support the development of sound decision making skills in career planning.
The program targets first year female on-campus and distance students as they make the transition to higher education, thereby laying the foundations for these women to make appropriate and effective choices in pursuing and achieving their career goals during and after university. With a particular focus on chemistry, this presentation will describe the key elements and outcomes of this project.
Publication Type: Conference Publication
Conference Details: Pacifichem 2015: 7th International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Honolulu, United States of America, 15th - 20th December, 2015
Source of Publication: Pacifichem 2015: Networking - Building Bridges across the Pacific, p. 1-2
Publisher: Pacifichem
Place of Publication: Honolulu, United States of America
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 139999 Education not elsewhere classified
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 399999 Other education not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 939903 Equity and Access to Education
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 160201 Equity and access to education
HERDC Category Description: E3 Extract of Scholarly Conference Publication
Publisher/associated links: https://pacifichem.org/
Appears in Collections:Conference Publication
School of Environmental and Rural Science
School of Science and Technology

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