Closing the gender gap in STEM
Gender diversity in the workplace is a central focus for us, especially in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which are still male-dominated industries. We met with the Northeast Texas council to find a way to improve the STEM experience for local girl scouts. Together, we developed a fiber network that would help tackle the gender imbalance in the STEM industries.
Challenge
Develop female STEM (science, technology and math) leaders, in support of gender diversity in workplaces.
Solution
Develop a fiber network for the STEM center, as well as organize events, digitalize volunteer on-boarding and more.
Impact
Girl scouts of Northeast Texas have transformed their camp into a dedicated STEM center with opportunities in robotics, coding, botany, chemistry and more. Since then, 86 percent of the girls who attended the camp said they’re more interested in STEM.
More facts and reading
The facility is now a dedicated STEM center: a 92-acre living laboratory providing opportunities that include robotics, coding, botany and chemistry. With the entire camp set up as a managed network, it has become possible to digitalize volunteer onboarding and enable cloud-based processes. In addition, the girl scouts are offered job shadowing and tech camp opportunities, as well as the chance to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest gathering of female technologists. Of the girls who have attended the camp, 86 percent say they are now more interested in STEM as a result. The new mission of the girl scouts is to put 2.5 million girls into a progressive STEM leadership pipeline by 2025. Together, Ericsson and the girl scouts are changing the face of STEM to meet the urgent need for female engagement and leadership in the fastest-growing sector of the US economy.
Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals
The highlighted Sustainable Development Goals are included in the project.