Tundra invests in youth to close the gender gap in STEM industries

TORONTO, May 19, 2022 /CNW/ - Women now make up nearly half the workforce, but in some of the most important industries — Science Technology and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) — female and non-binary peoples are still underrepresented. Tundra Technical, a global recruitment leader focused on hiring diverse talent for the world's most recognizable brands, remains committed to doing something about the disparity by kicking off the first of a new, post-Pandemic series of global mentorship events for young women in STEM called the Launchpad Project.

The Launchpad Project helps connect female and non-binary students to mentors across North America with its mentorship event last week and offer scholarship and co-op opportunities as part of the initiative. Women in 2019 also made up nearly half of those in all math (47%) and life and physical science (45%) occupation, according to the latest U.S. Census data. In Canada, among STEM graduates 25-34, only 23 per cent win degrees in engineering and just 30 per cent are math and computer science grads, according to StatsCan's National Household Survey.

At the event, Tundra awarded laptops, school gear, and five STEM scholarships were presented based on project plans created by Grades 11 and 12 students identifying a national problem and proposing innovative solutions with their STEM knowledge. 

The winners and their topics were:

Mehar Sahota, New Westminster, B.C., "Solving Canada's Water Crisis Through Plant PsBs Expression."

Serena Zhang, Toronto, "Heat Waves in Vancouver: Solutions for this Silent and Deadly Disaster."

Stuti Garg, Calgary, "Blood.IO: the Two-pronged Solution to the Blood Donation Crisis."

Rochelle Beekman, Grand Prairie, Alta., "Enabling Bystanders to Treat the Casualties of a Diabetic Crisis."

Parmin Sedgh, Kingston, Ont., "A Multi-Faceted Approach to Sustainability: Financial Incentives Explored."

"These five students are the future of STEM, and we are so pleased to be able to help them jumpstart their education," said Tundra president Micah Williams. "By combining mentorship and scholarships, we hope to assist young women break through the glass ceiling one STEM career at a time. As DE&I leaders, hiring diverse talent for the world's most recognizable brands, we believe it's Tundra's duty to balance the workforce and help grow diversity in STEM studies and careers."

At the Launchpad event, a large group of high school and post-secondary students networked with local female STEM leaders across North America, in person and virtually, who provided valuable educational and career insights to guide students' progress in the field, throughout their transition into their first year and beyond. Young people considering STEM careers rarely have an opportunity to interact with successful and high-level STEM leaders, and with its event, Tundra made it possible.

Dr. Eugenia Duodu, TEDx Youth Speaker and CEO, Visions of Science Network for Learning, a charitable organization empowering youth from low-income communities through meaningful engagement in STEM, moderated a stellar panel of STEM leaders for Tundra's Launchpad. The panel also included Georgia Woods, Executive VP and CIO of Canada Life; Stephanie Sanchez, VP of Innovation at WorkJam and former Bombardier and Air Canada engineer; and Sukh Kaur, a director at Deloitte and founding member of nFormation, a High Performing Woman of Colour community in North America.

Applications for Tundra's next Launchpad Scholarship can be found at Scholartree.ca.

Follow Tundra Technical Solutions on LinkedIn for more insights.

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SOURCE Tundra Technical Solutions

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