SUTD encouraging more women to join Stem industry
At the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), young women can attend "class" even before they have enrolled into the school.
SUTD's female faculty run the Women in Technology and Design workshops and seminars, which sometimes include industry partners - women who lead in their respective companies - to inspire prospective students into joining the Stem-focused school.
"In Singapore, although the population of males versus females is almost equal, less than 20 per cent of students enrolled in engineering are females," said Ms Corinna Choong, senior director of marketing and communications at SUTD.
"In line with our goal to nurture technically-grounded leaders to better the world by design, the diversity in perspectives that women bring is invaluable."
Women make up 38 per cent of its student cohort.
SUTD associate professor Low Hong Yee said that while the number of women studying Stem is growing, she is concerned that many are not pursuing Stem careers.
The Mastercard Girls in Tech survey showed 37 per cent of those aged 17 to 19 saying they may not choose Stem jobs despite studying Stem subjects.
"(Young women) still believe it is a man's world in Stem, and that the path is difficult," said Ms Deborah Heng, country manager at Mastercard Singapore.
In an attempt to support women in developing strong technical, engineering and leadership skills, Mastercard awards the Mastercard Scholarship for Women at SUTD to outstanding full-time female undergraduates pursuing their third year of studies at SUTD.
Six women have been awarded the scholarship.
Ms Georgette Tan, senior vice-president of communications for the Asia Pacific region at Mastercard, said: "From work placement programmes to scholarships such as this, we hope to build a pathway for women who seek to pursue their careers in the technology sector."
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