RDA Hunter this week hosted The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science.
Mrs Andrews visited the region to see first-hand the positive impact RDA Hunter’s skills and workforce development initiative, the ME Program, is having on both the uptake of STEM subjects in its Hunter high schools and industry’s access to a skilled and ready talent pool.
Mrs Andrews visited ME Program industry partner BAE Systems and partner high school, St Philips Christian College. She spoke with female students at St Philips about her career as an engineer, being one of the first female mechanical engineering graduates of the Queensland University of Technology and her success in business. She also discussed how studying STEM subjects contributes to career opportunities and securing the jobs of the future.
“STEM is the key to Australia’s future productivity and competitiveness, and acquiring STEM skills starts in childhood. That’s why we need practical solutions to address obstacles in STEM education,” Parliamentary Secretary Karen Andrews said.
“Not only do we want to increase our STEM student population, we also want to make sure that after graduation, STEM students can work with industry to boost business growth, productivity and competitiveness,” Mrs Andrews said.
“RDA Hunter is very pleased to have hosted Mrs Andrews in the region to brief her on the contribution our highly successful ME Program is making to education outcomes in Hunter schools,” said RDA Hunter CEO Todd Williams.
“Mrs Andrews is a strong role model for women and girls. Female students at St Philips are very fortunate to have had opportunity to gain from her experience and insights.” continued Mr Williams.