Lumen Winter 2018 - Flipbook - Page 21
The Women in STEM Careers Program
has two main focus areas.
The personal development component focuses on
building confidence and resilience, breaking down
barriers to success and inspiring female students
to pursue careers in STEM.
The professional development component helps
them build leadership skills, manage expectations
and develop the attributes that will prepare them
for their careers.
For more information about the program and how
you can get involved, visit www.ua.edu.au/womenin-stem
Hannah Jury (centre) with Phil Engler
and Professor Eileen Scott
Photo by Russell Millard
INDUSTRY
HANNAH JURY
LAUREN MANSER
PHIL ENGLER
Engineering student Hannah Jury said the
program gave her “a sense of confidence
in my abilities and what I have to offer
as a woman embarking on a career in
the STEM field.”
Lauren Manser, a graduate engineer
with AECOM, says the most common
questions she is asked at Women in
STEM events relate to her current role
and the process she went through during
the interview and selection process.
Phil Engler understands first-hand
the gender disparity in STEM careers.
Several of the female friends he graduated
with in 2005 no longer work as engineers.
His own employer, Aurecon, is now
addressing this as a priority. That’s why he
is keen to stay involved.
She found the networking workshops
particularly useful. “I had always been
a little unsure about how to go about
making professional connections; learning
about good ways to go about it and then
practising with professionals in a relaxed
environment was great for improving
my confidence.
“I was surprised by how personal and
interactive the sessions were. Almost every
session had some kind of preparatory
work which really helped to make the
most of each workshop.”
Hannah completed the course just
in time to help her apply successfully
for an internship with a consultancy
in New Zealand.
“The students are often looking for advice
to get through interviews and ways they
can make their application stand out.
They also look for advice about accepting
roles and the best steps to progress their
careers in a certain direction.
“The most important advice I am
able to offer is to welcome every
new opportunity, have confidence in
your own judgement and continue
challenging yourself by moving out of
your comfort zone.”
Lauren said she felt the inaugural
program had been “incredibly well
structured” and “it was great to watch
the development of the students across
the year as they grew in confidence.”
“From an industry perspective we really
welcome this program. Addressing this
issue needs to be a partnership between
companies and universities.”
A Senior Water Engineer, Phil met the
inaugural class for the first time at the
mock interviews and said he was “blown
away” by how good they were at talking
to professionals. “When I think of myself
when I went through uni I was like a
nervous kid. They were very high-calibre
students. I’d hire them!”
Alumni Magazine ~ Winter 2018
19
