1.7 Offer scholarships to female students with a focus on STEM subjects
Content
Description of Best Practices
Collaborate with STEM high schools or universities to support via scholarships talented female students with diverse social identities
Provide scholarship opportunities to support their access to secondary and tertiary education, especially in regions where access is unequal for boys and girls
Establish good relationships with educational institutions to ensure diverse candidate selection
Provide training on unconscious bias[1] to educational staff to ensure the mindset of boys and girls is prepared to overcome cultural gender norms and stereotypes about the suitability of certain professions
Provide opportunities for sponsored girls to familiarize with the company and create a positive relationship, e.g., through inviting them to the company or through mentoring and coaching by company staff and through internship opportunities
Challenges of Implementation
Lack of infrastructure of schools to provide good quality technical education
Mindset of teachers may not support equality and girls’ aspirations to study STEM field
Expectations of sponsored girls need to be managed and prepared to pursue other career paths as she may not be guaranteed a job
Lack of time and company resources to provide additional mentoring, coaching or other relationship-building to the girls may limit the positive effect
Parents may not be supportive of daughter’s higher education choice to study STEM/ pursue a technical career
What Success Looks Like
Number of girls or women who successfully complete secondary, tertiary, and technical education increased
Talented girls create a positive relationship with the company
Perception of the company to be an employer of choice for women is increased
Higher number of female candidates with the required skills and qualifications apply for open positions at the company
Participants equipped to be successful in recruitment and assessment processes
Resources and Tools
Example: Scholarships (Shell USA)
[1] UNCONSCIOUS BIAS. Also known as an implicit bias, this is an underlying attitude and stereotype that people unconsciously attribute to another person or group of people. In the workplace, unconscious bias has an impact on recruitment decisions, employee development, diversity, and retention rates, and promoting a disconnected culture. (Source: Built In, 16 Unconscious Bias Examples And How to Avoid Them in The Workplace)