Dr Gordon Mizner

Winner of the 2012 WISE Diversity Award

30 November 2012

Celebrating the achievement of organisations, in building diversity and engaging with young people

Gordon Mizner works for EDT which is an educational charity which connects industry and universities with young people aged 11-21 years, to increase diversity of those pursuing technical subjects.

My proudest moment - Every time I attend one of the EDT events which display and celebrate the hard work that the young people have produced from their project or work experience with industry. The standard and commitment is awe inspiring, and I am confident that our future is in safe hands.

My advice - Promoting STEM courses and careers to girls requires persistence and a willingness to try new avenues. Girls seem to be motivated by the wish to “make a better world”. Focus on changing stereotypes amongst teachers and parents, the two main influencer groups. Engagement of young people in projects with mentors who are currently doing STEM jobs dispels many of the myths about scientists and engineers. We find that once young people have been given the opportunity to see how a real world project connects with their studies, their attitude towards the possibility of a STEM career is transformed. We are delighted that so many girls take part in EDT programmes, particularly at the younger stage of secondary school. This means that we have the opportunity to inspire them about STEM subjects before they start making the GCSE choices which will shape their future career prospects.

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