A CAREER in technology beckons for one of Patterson River Secondary College’s brightest mathematics and IT students, Jessika Du, who was invited to attend a University of Melbourne education camp for future engineers and IT professionals this month.
The 14-year-old from Patterson Lakes says she enjoyed the three-day Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) skills camp aimed at increasing female participation in the science and technology sectors.
Thirty girls attended the course from Victoria.
“I feel like I learned a lot of different skills in a lot of different engineering areas,” she said. “Being with people who are like-minded helped me develop life and people skills.
“I jumped into the program because it’s changed the way I think about engineering and IT. Hopefully I choose to go that way.
“In school we’re learning about pathways and choosing what you want to do.”
Programming and working with robots were two highlights of the three-day course.
About 75 per cent of fast-growing occupations require STEMM skills but only 16 per cent of high school graduates pursue degrees in STEMM disciplines according to the University of Melbourne.
Female representation in these fields is even lower with only 33 percent of tertiary qualifications being awarded to women in STEMM fields in 2011.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 27 July 2016
