WISE Scientific Apprenticeships Project

In January 2015 Cogent Skills commissioned the WISE Campaign to deliver a number of events

These events were part of the Women into STEM Project funded by the UKCES. The events included:

1. Discovery workshops aimed at school girls

“It’s wonderful how we could talk with real scientist women and be inspired by them and think about a scientific career.”

Based on the ‘Create your future’ model developed with support from Intel, the Institute of Physics, the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium and the Royal Academy of Engineering, these workshops give the target audience a chance to meet young women who are currently on or have completed a science based apprenticeship. For the Women into STEM Project, WISE developed a programme of events, arranged the attendance and briefing of role models and facilitated the sessions.

2. Half day training sessions for employers

“Lots of good facts and figures to back up the assertions. An excellent awareness course.”

To support the project WISE devised a half-day session aimed at apprenticeship managers and employers covering:

• The business benefits of diversity
• Advice on marketing strategy which will appeal to girls
• Advice on open days
• Avoiding stereotyped assumptions so that they get the right person for the job

3. Media activity

Particular publications were targeted and role model stories were shared.

4. Support for on-site open days

“The most useful part was speaking to the role models and learning about possible apprenticeship plans for the future.”

Site visits give girls the opportunity to see what the working environment will be like and is very useful in breaking down negative perceptions about working in industry.WISE supports employers in running open days with elements specifically tailored to girls.