Need for girls to become more involved in STEM
TO MARK Girls in ICT Day, Microsoft released research showing the critical importance of role models in generating interest in STEM amongst young girls in Ireland. 46% of girls surveyed reported an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics when inspired by a female peer, in comparison to 38% of girls who don’t.
The findings also revealed that three out of five girls in Ireland with strong role models in their lives can imagine a future career in STEM.
Students from St Thomas' in Tallaght during ICT Day
However, only around 2:5 (42%) of Irish young women with a STEM role model actually work in STEM subjects, showing an ‘opportunity gap’ to convert the passion in the classroom into a future STEM career.
With Ireland seeking to become Europe’s STEM leader by 2026, there is an urgent need to encourage more girls to become interested in technology enabled careers. For today, only 30% of Europe’s ICT workforce is made up of women.
Students from St Thomas’s SNS in Tallaght and Sacred Heart NS in Clondalkin had the opportunity to meet with young successful women who have blazed a trail by harnessing the power of creativity and technology.
