This girl can ... and did

Part of our vision is to encourage talent at all levels to join the defence sector. Last year Women in Defence UK was invited to DSEI – The World Leading Defence and Security Event, to be part of the Personal Development Hub held on the People and Skills Day.

Members from  the team and women from the wider defence enterprise were on hand to talk to students and delegates about wide range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related jobs there are in Defence, and share their own career experiences.

This blog provides an insight into the day, with more information on getting involved in STEM activities found.

The day was a great opportunity for students to understand more about the

career opportunities there are in Defence. The Women in Defence UK team were on hand to demonstrate the wide range of STEM of jobs in Defence, and encourage young women in particular to consider it as a career. Visitors to the stand were provided with a set of pictures of people – and were asked to guess what they might do for a living.

Who does which job?

And here are some of the answers:

Each of the women on the stand shared a passion to encourage others to follow a similar path. One way of doing this is as a STEM Ambassador.

Signing up as a STEM ambassador opens up opportunities to participate in group activities and showcase STEM subjects to those entering higher education, or thinking about a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics. Find out more here.

One of the Women in Defence aims is to encourage women to join the defence sector. It does this by:

• Highlighting the achievements of women in the defence sector to inspire others.

• Highlighting efforts to increase STEM skills update among women.

This event at DSEi and the introduction of a STEM in Defence category in the Women in Defence UK Awards are our first steps towards this aim. We’d be delighted to hear from you if you have any further ideas on how we can continue to deliver.