SA Water’s Uni partnership for women in STEM

On the 108^th anniversary of the first International Women’s Day celebrations, SA Water has announced an important partnership with the University of Adelaide to support career and development opportunities for women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Sponsoring the University’s 2019 Women in STEM Careers Program, around 100 female participants will engage in workshops throughout the year focusing on leadership, career development and entrepreneurship.

SA Water’s General Manager of Customer Delivery Kerry Rowlands said the corporation is excited to be involved with one of the largest leadership programs for female STEM students in Australia.  

“STEM is an area traditionally seen as under-represented by women in the workforce, and we’re excited to be major sponsor of the University’s 2019 program to help participants build their confidence and increase their employability,” Kerry said.

“We’ve set an ambitious target on the number of female graduates joining our business to reach at least 60 per cent by 2024, and with currently over half of our STEM Graduates and 43 per cent of total graduates being female, we know this goal is certainly within reach.

“This is on-top of our other measures taken to achieve gender parity in the workforce, with SA Water achieving a zero per cent gender pay gap in 2017 compared to the then-national average of 15.3 per cent.

“While we join other businesses around the world today in celebrating International Women’s Day, we recognise the importance of continuing to work every day to improve the gender balance in our corporation and wider society.”

With the 2019 theme of #BalanceforBetter, International Women’s Day is an annual global event celebrating the social, cultural and political achievements of women across the world while also making a call to action for gender parity in the workplace.

The University of Adelaide’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Pascale Quester says strong industry support for the program has underlined its relevance to potential employers.  

“Since it began, 175 female students have benefitted from the University’s Women in STEM Careers Program. They have been challenged to lay a foundation upon which they can build their careers in STEM, and they have risen to that challenge, with many of our students reporting marked improvements in confidence and resilience,” Pascale said.

“The University of Adelaide has a long history of commitment to gender equity - we were the first university in Australia and only the second in the world to admit women to academic programs.

“Today, we continue this commitment with participation in a range of initiatives aimed at promoting and enhancing women’s involvement in STEM education and careers.”

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