Over the past term, we’ve had the amazing opportunity to be included in a new programme for Year 11 girls in Mathematics Methods ATAR, the Girls Engineering Tomorrow (GET) programme. This involves going to the Curtin University campus every fortnight on Saturday for a couple of hours to engage in engineering-based activities.

Before the programme, many of us were unaware what a career in Engineering entailed. After ten fascinating sessions about the impact of this career on the future, whether it be creating clean energy or detecting cancer, we’ve grown to learn more about how a career in engineering can be challenging and rewarding.

The leader of GET, Aleesha Davis, explored what engineering is, the different types of engineering, the environment of a career in Engineering and most importantly, we learned about projects, experiences and advice on what it’s like to be women in a STEM career dominated by males. Getting to meet so many other women involved in the industry and seeing their impact was an amazing experience. We also met many new girls who do similar subjects and are interested in Engineering.

One of the many opportunities provided by the programme was to go to the Pilbara and visit the mine sites. We were able to experience the lifestyle of FIFO workers in the mining industry and speak with the many women already working in this career. We visited workshops, had a look at the pits and toured through the processing plant that produces minerals such as lithium and iron into sellable products.

This programme has allowed us to think about pursuing a career in STEM, which can hopefully lead to a more diverse and talented STEM workforce where the economic security of women is enhanced.

By Year 11 students Maria Biju, Jana Gardner, Sasha Forbes, Eleanor Capp and Aleena Mathew