Women in Science and Engineering from Explorers to Practitioners to Leaders

Transcription

1 Women in Science and Engineering from Explorers to Practitioners to Leaders Carolyn J. Emerson* Project Coordinator Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology In the previous two articles in the Dialogue, we explored the status of women in engineering and science fields as students and professionals, and the business case for gender diversity. Newfoundland and Labrador is an exciting place to be right now with major developments in the petroleum, mining, renewable energy, cold oceans, aquaculture, genomics, and construction sectors. It s also the hub of significant activity and innovation in the arena of increasing the participation and leadership of women in SETT. And PEGNL is playing an important role. What are individuals and organizations nationally and in NL doing to effect positive change and realize the benefits of diversity? For more than two decades a number of organizations have led the way. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) NL, established locally in 1988 as a non-profit community organization steered by an executive of volunteers, has successfully delivered programming and activities across the province and beyond. Among WISE NL s successes are five conferences, two award-winning videos, engineering kits, career information resources, speakers series, networking events, and science fair and IEEE student presentation awards. WISE NL is perhaps best known for its flagship Student Summer Employment Program (SSEP). SSEP brings together grade 11 young women from around the province to

2 explore careers in science and engineering through eight week paid job placements at the university and other organizations and agencies. The program is further enriched with workplace tours, social activities, and networking opportunities. Many of its 700 participants have gone on to successful careers in engineering and science and in leadership roles around the globe. SSEP recently launched an Ambassador project to encourage students in Labrador to peer-mentor and expand their career horizons. WISE NL is grateful for the strong government and industry support for SSEP and other initiatives. WISE NL has received several awards for these significant achievements including an inaugural Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion. WISE NL also includes the WISE Undergraduate Project (WISE-UP), a learning and support group for undergraduate women who organize the career choices evening for SSEP students and who deliver outreach activities for Girl Guides. The WISE Graduate Student Section (WISE-GSS), nurtured by individual faculty members at Memorial, provides support for student success and a forum for professional development. The NSERC / Petro-Canada Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering, Atlantic Region, (F. Mary Williams and Cecilia Moloney ) at Memorial University, also had significant impact and drew the support of local industry partners and PEG NL. A key activity of the first Chair, in partnership with WISE NL, was the 2000 national conference New Frontiers / New Traditions which highlighted research on the factors that influence girls and women s academic and career choices and showcased examples of successful initiatives to increase the participation of women in SETT. One legacy from that event was the resource Becoming Leaders: A Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology, now co-published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers ( Coauthors Mary Williams and Carolyn Emerson are gratified with the continuing positive response to the handbook and its strong distribution around the world. Workshops that informed the book s content and continue to be derived from its key messages underpin the WinSETT Centre s Leadership Program described below. PEG NL has been active in the areas of career awareness and outreach through Engineering Week activities, Future SET summer camps, and members presentations to young people. The PEG NL mentorship program has also benefitted female EITs and GITs and the Board has been successful in attracting female members. Among the other organizations that increase girls engagement in science and engineering in the province are Let s Talk Science and the Canadian Association for Girls in Science. WISE NL and the WinSETT Centre have also worked with local industry in supporting their efforts to diversify their workforce. We were part of the steering and program

3 committees and provided presentations for Fueling the Future: Women in Oil and Gas international conference held in St. John s in March Legacy funding from the conference is supporting our joint partnership to develop and pre-pilot a Smart Portal for Careers in SETT, initially focusing on the oil and gas sector in NL. WISE NL is also partnering with the NL Organization of Women Entrepreneurs, the Genesis Centre and ACOA to provide information and networking and mentoring opportunities to increase enterprise by women in engineering and science. In trades-related fields, Women in Resource Development Corporation is the provincial leader in providing information, support, and pre-employment training for women to enter trades, technology and operations courses and employment, and also provides services to industry to successfully expand their workforce. The Office to Advance Women Apprentices is also active in encouraging women in the skilled trades. Several of these groups share their successful initiatives nationally as members of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology founded in 1987 to promote women in science, engineering, trades and technology, celebrate their contributions and apply new vision to these fields. In 2009, CCWESTT established the Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT Centre) as a catalyst for the sustained employment and progress of women in SETT fields. The Centre achieves its mission by developing and disseminating through collaboration and partnerships, the tools and expertise useful to women, industry, government, unions, educational institutions, and women in SETT organizations. The active participation of WISE NL and WRDC was pivotal in the Centre s creation and continues to inform its governance and programming. As we noted in the previous articles, while women s participation as practitioners is low in some engineering and science fields, it is particularly so in leadership roles, a situation that the Centre is addressing. As women succeed and lead in their own style, there is the opportunity to bring the benefits of diversity to the organization and to affect the culture of the workplace to make it more welcoming and supportive for others. In particular, it shows younger women that there is a place for their talents as well. The Centre s Women in SETT Leadership Program is comprised of several sequential modules that address specific topics identified by women as key to advancing their success. Module themes include effective communications, negotiation strategies, networks and mentoring, leadership and change, and 21 st century challenges. By the end of 2011, the first of the Program s modules, Becoming Leaders: An Introduction to Leadership Skills and Strategies, had been delivered 12 times to more than 200 early to mid-career women in four provinces. By mid 2012, Suncor Energy will have sponsored three workshops in NL. Suncor, with Dr. Moloney s NSERC/Petro- Canada Chair legacy, supported the development of this first module and is the key

4 sponsor for the negotiations module. Workshops have included participants from a variety of engineering and science-based organizations and in some cases, senior engineering co-op and graduate students. Workshop participants discuss success strategies Kim Keating, P.Eng., Suncor, guest presenter, with Gloria Montano, WISE NL President The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta is supporting development and the pre-pilot of a specialized workshop, the Employers Module: Gender Diversity for Managers / Leaders. Participants from a variety of companies and agencies will increase their awareness of the factors that influence the success of women in their organizations, assess current workplace environments, and share effective practices and strategies to welcome, support and enable their employees to contribute their best. The Centre is pleased to announce, hot off the press, that the Edmonton office of WorleyParsons is adding their support to the development and delivery of the Women in SETT Leadership Program for their female technical employees and their management teams. As one senior executive stated if this can prevent just one woman from leaving, the program will have paid for itself. The financial contribution will also enable longer term evaluation of the program in joint partnership with the Centre and Karen Hughes, professor in the Alberta School of Business. PEG NL and the WinSETT Centre also align strongly with Engineers Canada s goal of 30% female professional engineers by Engineers Canada s Women in Engineering Committee has exciting and ambitious plans to make that goal a reality and PEG NL and the Centre support their actions by providing committee and sub-committee members, information, and delivery of the Centre s Leadership Program. The WinSETT Centre also works nationally with skilled trades sector employers and their associations, career counselors, and post-secondary training institutions, using our Checklist of Strategies workshop to create respectful and inclusive workplaces. Recent deliveries have had the support of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. Themes that underpin all of these successful initiatives include: collaboration; hands-on engagement; interactive discussions; inspiration and mentoring from others who have enjoyed success; networking and sharing of common experience; learning about

5 challenges and then leveraging strengths to overcome them; striving to work smart, not just harder; and leadership from women, men, and organizations. An important place to be this year to hear more about innovative programs, current research and opportunities to partner for further progress, is the 14 th CCWESTT National Conference ( Inspiring a SeaChange will be held in Halifax, May 3-5 at the Harbourfront Marriott. Several offerings will feature WISE NL, WRDC and the WinSETT Centre s programs making a difference in our province. Get involved yourself or sponsor attendance of your employees, students from Memorial or the College of the North Atlantic or members of an NGO such as WISE NL. * The WinSETT Centre is supported in part by Status of Women Canada, APEGGA, Suncor Energy Foundation, Suncor Energy Inc., and other agencies and organizations. Carolyn J. Emerson, M.Sc., has held leadership positions in organizations with a particular emphasis on women s full participation in SETT careers. She is the co-author of two books on women in the SETT workforce and is the recipient of several awards for public service including Honourary Membership in Professional Engineers and Geoscientists NL.