The NSW Government last week released its Women in NSW Report Series, with the Education and Learning Report 2016. This Report is the first in a series of four which will be released over the coming year, each with a specific topic area impacting the lives of women.

In launching the Report, NSW Minister for Women, Pru Goward, MP said “Education and learning plays a vital role in providing individuals the opportunity to develop and contribute towards a society that values gender equity.”

RDA Hunter through its ME Program has been working to improve the uptake of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects in its partner schools since 2010 and is having particular success reaching girls.

In 2017, a record 11 girls-only high schools are registered to teach the ME Program’s iSTEM course. New England Girls (NEGS), Auburn Girls High School and MacArthur Girls High School are among the 125 strong cohort of schools that will teach the state-of-the-art subject that incorporates mechatronics, aerodynamics, engineering, 3D CAD/CAM and motion modules in 2017.

“We are delighted to have so many girls schools teaching our iSTEM course next year. Schools are very conscious of the importance of promoting STEM skills to their students and we are delighted that our course is appealing to so many students and who are looking at entering STEM careers.” said Dr Scott Sleap, Director of RDA Hunter’s ME Program.

“The Government’s Education and Learning Report includes some very interesting data about participation by girls and women in STEM fields. It supports the trends that we are seeing that suggest an increasing interest in STEM subjects and STEM careers by all students, but girls in particular.” continued Dr Sleap.

The key findings of the Report include:
•             Girls outperformed boys in all NAPLAN domains, except numeracy
•             32.9% of women’s postgraduate completions were in STEM-related fields, compared with 30.7% of men’s postgraduate completions
•             Aboriginal women are well-represented in VET courses but under-represented in undergraduate and postgraduate completions
•             The gender gap in apprenticeships and traineeships has widened in recent years to 30.2% for commencements and 17.6% for completions.

The Report also details Government priorities and initiatives to further promote gender equity, including funding to increase student participation in STEM subjects and the Investing in Women program, which supports the economic empowerment and leadership of women in NSW.

Visit http://www.women.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/382050/education-and-learning-report.pdf