Released 04/04/2019
150 female secondary students today attended the inaugural Women in Engineering and Computer Sciences (WINGS) event aimed at encouraging female students to explore opportunities in non-traditional areas.
The full participation of women and girls in all aspects of society is critical to the wellbeing of the whole community. Women are underrepresented in the engineering and computer science fields so events like this one play an important role in inspiring young women to consider learning and working in these fields.
Designed by Hawker College’s engineering and IT teachers, the all-day interactive learning experience featured two hands-on modules and an expert panel session.
The first module focused on coding and mechatronics, while the second module was a prosthetic leg engineering workshop. The expert panel session featured university students and professionals answering questions about how to enter the field and what it is like to work within it.
An Engineering and Computer Science Expo took place over the lunch break where attendees could interact with local university groups from ANU and the University of Canberra, as well as companies like Icon Water, NCI Communications and IBM to learn about the process of moving from school to university to profession.
Students from across Canberra High School, Belconnen High School, Kingsford Smith, Lyneham, and Campbell High School attended and were guided by Hawker College students as well as ANU Student Ambassadors.
The ACT Government is committed to removing barriers to enable women and girls to reach their potential, contribute to innovation and ideas and to take up leadership positions.
The ACT Government is driving greater gender equality across our community through the ACT Women’s Plan, which provides support and empowerment to women to participate in all aspects of our community.
One highlight of the Plan is the Women in Trade Grants, which has just finalised its first recruitment round. This grant provides both financial and social support to help attract and retain women into male dominated trades within the vocational sector.
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Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases
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