🔬 Friday 11 February 2022 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
The Access Project is passionate about helping more women into science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) subjects. Last year 52% of our female students went on to study a STEM subject at university.
“I would like to be one of those women to make a difference and break the barrier”
Mia has experienced the automotive industry through her family. “You definitely don’t see that many women in the automotive industry. I used to get cars serviced with my mum and uncles, and the only females I could see were at the front desk. It drove me to think that I would like to see women have more active roles in the industry.”
Mia is feeling positive about going into the industry. “I saw a few women doing the aircraft maintenance and engineering apprenticeship, and that is very encouraging. I would like to be one of those women to make a difference and break the barrier.”
“I never found a woman that was as passionate about STEM as I am”
At first, Nihal was unsure about pursuing a STEM subject. “I was shy about voicing my love for sciences, because I didn’t see a lot of women that did science. Most of my teachers at school were men, and my tutors were men too. I never found a woman that was as passionate about STEM as I am.”
Nihal got to meet women working in STEM through The Access Project. “When they allowed us to go on trips and we got to meet more female scientists, this made me a lot more comfortable with my plans to go into STEM.”
“I’ve had very strong female role models throughout my life and education”
For Annabel, seeing women working in STEM has been inspiring. “I watched a seminar on Women in STEM, and there was a woman who had done research at University of Birmingham. Hearing about her experience at university and the jobs that she got to do, that confirmed it for me. Then I started to focus on the production of drugs and medicine.”
“I’ve had very strong female role models throughout my life and education. And that has pushed me to do what I want to do, and not limit myself. I have a female Physics A level teacher, which is unusual. She has been very helpful and encouraging. She told me I could do three sciences for A level. And now I’m doing it and I really enjoy it.”