Beyond the classroom: Game-changing event sparks girls’ interest in STEM
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects play a critical role in the successful development of society, which is why we’ll always need more qualified professionals in these fields.
And of course, here diversity is considered crucial for innovation because the difference in backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences can yield stronger results.
That being said, why did recent findings show that, in 2023, only one in five Computer Science entrants were female? This ultimately contributes to a gender gap that means, for some disciplines, female representation will fail to reach 30 percent.
That’s certainly not the direction we want to be travelling in!
Thankfully, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust is taking steps in the correct direction by providing unique insight and inspiring female students from all five of its secondary schools.
Working with the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) Computing Hub for Newcastle, Durham and Cumbria, and managed by one of its secondary schools (Cardinal Hume Catholic School), this exciting initiative is helping to encourage gender diversity in STEM.
Inspiring the next generation of female professionals
The NCCE’s initiative, which is titled “I Belong”, focuses on engaging more girls in the subject of computer science and related careers at a national level.
Off the back of this, BWCET and the Computing Hub at Cardinal Hume Catholic School established a unique and innovative event with a jam-packed agenda to inspire the next generation of female professionals.
It was here they were able to gain invaluable insight from businesses that specialise in computer science, providing distinctive insights into the working world.
The event took place on the 7th March at the Vertu Motors Arena – not only an inspiring local venue, but also home of the Newcastle Eagles basketball club. This connection was an important one as it supported the unique link between basketball and STEM subjects.
To help enforce this, the day included a practical session for students out on the basketball court to demonstrate these subjects in action. Plus, the session involved analytics and the statistics behind playing basketball, demonstrating the fundamental role STEM plays in the sport. Do you know how to work out the best place to take shots?
Along with the basketball session, the event gave female students the opportunity to use the Micro:bit to demonstrate computer programming through operating and controlling buggies.
They also took part in a brand new game called “Udder Disaster”, a farmyard themed game that helps replicate real life events in a fun and interactive way.
The event’s objective was to inspire young women into fulfilling, sustainable future STEM careers, and it aptly took place during National Careers Week (4 to 9 March).
If that wasn’t perfect timing enough, International Women’s Day – a global occasion that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the world – followed the very next day!
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East said: “We were delighted to hear of this unique event taking place within our region.
“Showcasing the many reasons why young women should explore science, technology, engineering and maths as careers can only be a positive thing. Well done, BWCET! We hope the event was a great success.”
Let’s work together to close the gender gap
To help the students gain further insight into future career opportunities and pathways, a number of leading employers delivered innovative and tailored careers sessions to smaller groups of students.
Confirmed employers included Arcadis, Enigma Interactive, Aspire Technology Solutions, the Department for Education, and Sunderland Software City. Points of discussions included subjects like computer science, engineering, technology, digital, and artificial intelligence.
Nick Hurn, OBE, CEO of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, said: “We are always looking for innovative ways to engage and educate our students, through providing meaningful experiences.
“This first-of-its-kind event is a great way of inspiring year 9 girls from within the trust to study these subjects. The event will showcase how fun and worthwhile computer science is and how young pupils could develop an exciting and fulfilling career.”
Kate Mills, Hubs and Collaboration Manager and NCCE Computing Hub Lead for Newcastle, Durham and Cumbria, explains the gap in education that we are trying to fill.
She said: “As a computing hub, we want to work with schools using the ‘I Belong’ programme to inspire and encourage more girls into computer science due to the evident gender gap.
“We’re currently doing a lot of work with teachers at the moment and part of that is to show girls different aspects of computer science and encourage them to take this as an option at GCSE.”
Bishop Chadwick Education Trust is a Schools North East Partner Trust . If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.
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