Alumni, mentors, associates, program leaders and special guests celebrated the culmination of three successful years of the government-funded STEM Jumpstart program with a sundowner function at The University Club, Crawley, recently.
Delivered by facilitators, Value Creators directors Maree Gooch and Ann Maree O'Callaghan, in partnership with Rural, Regional and Remote Network of WA, the STEM training sought to empower women to discover, enhance and advance their business and personal potential and boost gender equality in the workplace.
It was funded through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's Office for Women and the Women's Leadership Development Program and resulted in 10 Jumpstart programs being held throughout the State from Kununurra to Kalgoorlie and Albany through 2021 to 2024, with 187 women and 20 mentors participating.
Ms O'Callaghan said she and Ms Gooch saw a need in the marketplace, pitched their idea and were thrilled to have been successful in receiving funding.
"We have met so many incredible women, real life avatars with whom we've formed lasting friendships and achieved all that we hoped and more in setting them up with important skills and networks to build on in their future endeavours," Ms O'Callaghan said.
Having spoken to many of the alumni on the night and read the stories of others, guest speaker, Federal Member for Perth, Patrick Gorman, who is the assistant minister to the Prime Minister and assistant minister for the public service, was also high in his praise of what had been achieved.
"In my role as assistant to the Prime Minister we see millions of dollars in government programs go out the door every day from our office in Canberra and we continually ask did that make a difference," Mr Gorman said.
"Hearing your stories today tells me this program certainly has made a difference which is so encouraging - congratulations.
"Currently in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), women hold only 15 per cent of all available roles in WA, they account for less than one quarter of senior manager roles and only 8pc of CEO roles."
Mr Gorman said scarcity of role models, lack of flexible work, consistent gender pay gaps, sometimes unsafe work places and persistent gender stereotypes were all inhibiting factors.
"Our policy choices have reflected the need to rectify this and we are encouraged by some signs we are starting to see," he said.
"Now in Australia in year 12, girls outnumber boys in enrolment of biological, earth, chemical, agricultural and environmental sciences.
"Between 2015 to 2021 there was a 31pc increase in young women enrolling in university STEM courses and even more gratifying in the last decade there was an increase of 68pc more women in STEM jobs.
"That's an encouraging pace of change, but there's more work to do."
Fellow guest speaker and science ambassador professor Lyn Beazley, who titled her talk 'Stumbling Along, "because that's what I feel I've been doing my whole life" offered some valuable tips to the cohort.
"Be proud of where you've come from and remember you can achieve great things regardless of where you were born or live," Ms Beazley said.
"Find what you love, what really sets you alight and pursue that, seek out a mentor, preferably from a different area or industry to bring a broader view and don't be afraid to ask for help or support.
"Listen to your gut feeling, if it doesn't feel right and you take a job you don't really like on day one, by six months I guarantee, you'll absolutely hate it.
"Set goals and write them down, put them on your bedside table and look at them regularly.
"Find yourself an advocate as well, someone who will push your case and then get the right support and don't be afraid to say hey what about me when jobs/positions/promotions are in the offing.
"Sometimes you need to fight to get your voice heard and make sure your suggestions and ideas are acknowledged as yours and not adopted by some bloke who picks them up and gets all the credit for them.
"Lean on your experiences, your life skills are more important than anything, along with your training."
RRR Network CEO and STEM Jumpstart program partner Kendall Galbraith also championed the notion that living in the regions or remotely did not have to be a barrier to success.
"Patrick Gorman actually 'gave' me one of my first jobs, to increase women's grassroots political participation," Ms Galbraith said.
"I was assessed on merit, not geography and in hiring me, he made invisible regional women visible.
"Now in my role (five years) at RRR Network' our purpose is to understand and advocate on key issues that affect women across WA, to provide connection, empowerment and support women to help them achieve their goals.
"I recently heard Telstra Victorian woman of the year Julie Hirsch speak about 'unfair advantage' in the regions and how to flip that around into opportunities.
"Things like rural people have to wear multiple hats so they know how to engage with people at all levels, they have limited access to essential services which makes them very innovative, and able to solve problems on their own and they work with minimal resources so are more resilient.
"I challenge employers and businesses to look beyond the city and employ talented women in regional centres.
"For you, work in with employers, you have skills and can work from anywhere, be courageous, resourceful and negotiate terms that meet employers expectations but also fit with your geography and your commitments.
"And join RRR Network," Ms Galbraith said.
