The not-for-profit service connects year 9-12 high school girls and educators with women working in male dominated industries to increase their exposure, their access, and their confidence to engage with careers and pathways they otherwise might not have considered because of their gender.
UNIQ You CEO Tanya Meessmann said expansion into Victoria was a natural progression for the innovative service given the Victorian Government’s clear commitment to achieving gender equality for the future economic prosperity of the state in a rapidly changing world.
“We are excited to expand and facilitate connections between industry and the education system in a landscape where there is a demonstrated commitment from both government and industry to take sustained, enduring and measurable action to move the dial on gender equality,” Tanya said.
“The Victorian Government’s Gender Equality Strategy is making significant progress through its introduction of gender equality resources to the education system that address the impact of stereotypes and gender bias and are changing the conversion around what girls are capable of.
“The Victorian Government’s vision for STEM in the Education State also aligns perfectly with ours, as they too are seeking to support more girls to excel in STEM, become more confident in their STEM related abilities, understand the relevance of STEM learning to a diverse range of jobs and ultimately pursue STEM careers.
“We are also looking forward to the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and to further compliment the Vocational Education services that already exist in the Victorian education landscape and align with training sectors across Victoria to help accelerate progress in these areas and help build a pipeline of VET skilled women for the future,” Tanya said.
Currently in Victoria women make up 33 percent of STEM undergraduates, 40 percent of STEM PhD completions, and 14 percent of STEM professors. Women account for less than four percent of Victorian VET enrolments for construction, engineering and trades courses and less than 10 percent of apprenticeships.
Launched in November 2021, UNIQ You currently has over 60 female advisors from 17 corporate partners from across Australia who volunteer their time to provide industry insights and advice to high school girls from over 50 registered high schools located throughout metro, regional and remote Queensland.
Each corporate partner represents industries that have less than 40 percent representation of women and include Aurecon, BMD Group, Boeing, Hutchinson Builders, New Holland Agriculture, Origin Energy, Shell’s QGC business, Qube Logistics, Skedulo, Urban Utilities, Yurika (Part of Energy Queensland) as well as five Queensland Governments; Department of Transport and Main Roads, Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Police Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
For more information about UNIQ You and the latest news visit uniqyou.com.au or if you are an educator wanting to find out more for your school visit uniqyou.com.au/for-schools/
- Safe and strong: A Victorian Gender Equality Strategy https://www.vic.gov.au/safe-and-strong-victorian-gender-equality#download-the-pdf