Latest WISE News

We’re delighted to share our annual report from 2018/19. Our focus was innovation, and the report shows some great progress and achievements. Our thanks to all of you; members, sponsors and supporters, for your active commitment to improving gender balance across STEM. We look forward to continuing to work with you all towards our goal.

It’s been very hard to pick the finalists. Thank you to everyone who has helped us with the judging this year. We’ve chosen four finalists for some of the categories because they are all so impressive. There is a good spread across sectors: aerospace; automotive, chemicals, defence, education, energy and technology...

Last year, Alison Dolling won our WISE Technician award, and she writes very bravely and openly about her struggles with imposter syndrome, and how winning the award helped with her confidence. This is one powerful way that nominating yourself or those you know for an award can make an impact...

Last week’s WISE annual conference was our best yet. We heard from a range of fantastic speakers on issues ranging from neuroscience to apprenticeships, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s vital that we take the energy generated and turn it into action to close the gender gap in STEM....

With the news that the gender pay gap this year seems to be growing, it is easy to feel disheartened. One interpretation of the gap growing may not be so negative, but this also strengthens the need for all of us to work together to ensure that women are at the centre of opportunities created by the future skills requirements across all of our sectors...

One-third of women working in STEM innovation interviewed for WISE’s Making a Difference report switched career from administrative or sales roles. The report calls for a national STEM re-skilling programme targeting women.

Girls inspired by role models like them on My Skills My Life, WISE’s online platform launched last month, want to know what they can do next. If your organisation can offer open days, work experience, internships or other opportunities for girls and young women to discover the range of opportunities open to them in STEM, let us know and we’ll advertise them on the site...

Today WISE launches a digital platform to engage 11-19-year-old girls. My Skills My Life shows girls that science, technology, engineering and maths opens doors to a huge variety of exciting and purposeful jobs and careers in every sector. Over 1,000 girls from across the UK have given their input...

As we reach the end of 2018, there’s plenty to celebrate with you, together as WISE we have grown, with more than one new organisation joining us each week. With every new member, we increase our reach and impact...

The great news is that the UK is on track to have 1 million women working in core STEM roles by 2020. There are over 900,000 women working in STEM currently and an estimated 200,000 women with STEM qualifications will reach working age within the next 2 years. We announced this at the 2018 WISE Awards presented by our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal.

Those of you involved in STEM outreach should check out the latest version of our People Like Me resources, giving girls a flavour of exciting opportunities to use science, technology, engineering and maths in the energy sector....

One respondent to our survey feels women are amazing innovators but don’t always appreciate how creativity is transferable to a career in technology. We’ve extended the deadline for our women and innovation survey, sponsored by Amazon, to 21 September...

Fabulous to see the surge in girls getting A-levels in computing and physics and coming through with flying colours. Girls enthused from their participation in the WISE Residential at RAF Cosford will look to the WISE site for their next move. Send us details of opportunities you can offer to nurture their interest in science, engineering and technology...

As we look back on 2017/18 the rallying cry of ‘Deeds not Words’ resonated with us all. Our thanks to all of you; members, sponsors and supporters, for your active commitment to improving gender balance across STEM from classroom to boardroom. Our Annual Report shows some of our key achievements from this year, and we look forward to building on these with you into the future...

Since we launched People Like Me in September 2015, we have trained 6,500 people to deliver the People Like Me resources which show girls that choosing computing, maths and physics will open doors to the jobs of the future. Independent evaluation by the Open University, published today shows it is making an impact. 57% of girls are more interested in STEM careers after a People Like Me session...

We were very proud that the biggest WISE conference yet was held in the North in 2018, Year of Engineering and 100 years since women first got the vote. Held at The Lowry, Salford on 9 May, close to the home of the Pankhursts, our theme was innovation...

There has been much wringing of hands in recent weeks over the gender pay gap figures, prompted by the requirement of larger companies to publish the data. A common explanation is that men are doing more of the engineering and technology roles, which of course pay more. Another is that there are more men in senior roles, which also pay more. Instead of wringing their hands, WISE members are doing something practical to address both issues...

WISE is proud to support this year's IWD theme #PressforProgress. Now, more than ever, there's a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity. Find a WISE member event near you | Follow on Twitter as we celebrate the day!

This is the critically important WISE Man Award, for male champions leading change in their organisations and beyond. Backing this particular category sends a powerful message that gender balance in STEM is not solely a women’s issue – it makes good business sense which benefits us all.

These twelve STEM professionals are the rising stars who make up the WISE Young Women’s Board (WYWB) which is now in its fourth year. After facing some stiff competition Sabrina Castiglione, Nadia Earl, Nicola Entwistle and Rebecca Winstanley have been newly appointed. We also congratulate Susie Jutsum who has taken the role as Chair for 2018.