1.5 Conduct outreach to educational institutions that leads to long-term attraction of female job candidates
Content
Description of Best Practices
Analyze recruiting needs and societal/ educational gaps for recruiting female candidates, and develop an outreach plan
Develop relationships with engineering or STEM-related clubs at universities and give presentations to students about career opportunities
Identify suitable educational institutions, from kindergarten through vocational training schools and universities, and develop outreach programs with administration and faculty using gender-equitable messages that:
- Inform students that company is an equal-opportunity employer with varied opportunities
- Highlight the company’s equal opportunity efforts, showcasing gender equality and D&I practices
- Publicly encourage women to study STEM subjects to qualify them for technical careers
Offer scholarships[1] to women and girls to study in STEM fields
Reach out to parents and feeder schools to allay concerns and encourage female students to pursue careers in STEM
Develop practical and fun campaigns and competitions to attract and expose girls to technical topics, such as an “Energy Academy” or online gamification approaches
Send female and male managers to represent the company and discuss technical topics at summer camps, in kindergartens, and at other venues with kids and, in particular, young girls participating
Host “bootcamp” or pre-apprenticeship programs that specifically target young women to prepare them for skilled labor positions (e.g., line worker, electrician, welder, plumber, etc.) that women are less likely to know about or pursue.
Create an “academy” or program to formalize all of the company’s initiatives (e.g., internships, scholarships, mentor programs, etc.) and signal the company’s commitment to attracting more women.
Implement a sex-disaggregated data tracking system to determine if more students from the targeted outreach apply for internships and/or jobs at the company
Challenges of Implementation
Technical schools/universities may have low numbers of women as students registered in relevant courses of study
School leadership may not demonstrate an interest in targeting gender exclusion biases
Organizations such as utilities may be seen as old-fashioned, so they may not be attractive to young people
Inherent perception that work in the industry is only field work or customer service and is therefore unappealing
Organizations such as utilities may have extremely limited financial and human resources to implement new outreach programs and data-tracking systems
What Success Looks Like
Girls and young women get exposure to technical jobs, are encouraged to pursue STEM studies, and prepare for jobs/careers in lucrative industries
Company positions itself as an attractive employer for women and men
Over the medium- and long-term, the number of women applying for internships and/or jobs increases from targeted schools
Industry’s image is strengthened as an employer of choice for young women and men beginning their careers
Resources and Tools
Tool: Adding a Gender Lens to Nontraditional Jobs Training Programs (Jobs for the Future)
Article: How to Approach Teaching Gender Equality to Boys and Girls (British Council)
Case Study: In North Macedonia, the Future is Female: How a Power Utility is Opening Doors for Girls and Women (USAID)
Report/Study: Regional Mapping: STEM and Digital Skills for Girls (UNICEF)
[1] Scholarship. Award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, or financial need.