National STEM Day: Empowering Women And Girls in STEM
FutureLearn, the online career-based learning platform, joins celebrations for National STEM Day with a focus on empowering women and girls in STEM. The international day, which takes place every 8 November, acknowledges and celebrates the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
This National STEM Day, FutureLearn are showcasing their commitment to championing equality in STEM and helping to empower the next generation of STEM leaders through education.
Research from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has shown that while over one million women now work in STEM occupations, women only account for 29% of the STEM workforce. Reports from the STEM talent network SRG and New Scientist also show that there is still a significant gender pay gap with women in STEM in the UK earning approximately 19%, or £12,000 on average, less than their male counterparts.
While it’s clear that there is continued interest and demand for STEM courses with UCAS applications for Engineering and technology courses seeing 10% growth and Mathematical sciences and computing seeing a 7% increase, 2024 has seen the closure of multiple initiatives that help girls get into STEM and support women already in the field.
FutureLearn recognises the importance of education in giving learners a strong start in any field. Whether by providing more opportunities to learn and teach through Skills Academies for schools, offering free, sponsored courses such as UCL’s Equity in Informal STEM Learning: Using the Equity Compass and An Introduction to Electronic Engineering from the UK Electronic Skills Foundation or through the hundreds of cutting-edge STEM courses on the platform, FutureLearn are working towards breaking down barriers to education.
Commenting on the occasion, Ian Howell, Managing Director at FutureLearn says, “We believe in the power of education to transform lives and unlock potential. This National STEM Day, we’re reaffirming our commitment to transforming access to education. With our range of expert-led STEM courses from top universities and leading institutions, we want to help close the gender gap in STEM and make STEM education for women and girls more accessible to our learners around the world.”
To discover our STEM courses, please visit our STEM course page.