Category: Project
Area: Gender inequality
Place/Country: Slovenia
Date: 2018 – ongoing
Institutions involved: Mediade d.o.o. and partners (IRT=Innovation technology development Magazine)
Target group: Female Engineer
Goals / Objectives /Aims:
With the selection of Engineer of the Year, they address the problem of the ‘invisibility’ of female engineers in society. The aim of the selection is to show how interesting things are done by Slovenian female engineers and how they contribute to progress with their knowledge and work.
Second goal is to present people who, with their personality and work, can motivate, inspire or encourage young people to decide on engineering studies or a career path.
Content / Structure / Description including strengthening action competence
The female engineer of the year project is part of the wider initiative We will be engineers and engineers!
In Europe, only a quarter of girls study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), in Slovenia, one out of three students are girls.
The project aims to find an answer why girls do not choose engineering professions. Probable because they have not enough examples and we do not know how to explain to them the important role and contribution of engineers to the development of society.
In the proces of selection is important: the interestingness of female engineers, their story and contribution to the development of technology, society or the economy. So that “…they are doing something that makes sense for society and the world.”
To inspire young people about engineering, technology, science and innovation.
Results / Responses → Resulting Competences:
The ambition that Slovenia meets 10 interesting female engineers every year. Out of 10 nominees, one receives the Engineer of the Year award every year.
Feedback / Evaluation of the practice:
Quite a few articles have been published in the media regarding the importance and added value of male and female engineers. The articles mention the importance of their knowledge, ingenuity, mastery of data, their diversity and the use of multidisciplinarity.
Link to the source: https://www.inzenirka-leta.si/
