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About the initiative

The award-winning Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy is the first program of its kind in the world.

It is an investment in a generation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander female leaders, role models and game changers in STEM fields. To set young women up for a successful STEM career, we provide tailored support from high school through various tertiary pathways, including university and into graduate employment.

The Academy is part of the movement to increase the representation of Indigenous women in STEM careers, especially for those living in regional and remote areas who normally may not be able to access quality STEM opportunities in their home communities.

How industry can get involved

Inspire and invest in Australia’s next generation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander female leaders and community role models. Empower them to reach their full potential through hands-on, practical knowledge, networks and STEM experiences.

The challenge

At CSIRO, we believe that embracing diversity and unique perspectives can help solve some of Australia’s greatest STEM challenges. Despite concerted efforts to diversify our STEM pipeline over the last decade, women's representation in STEM has only marginally improved. Data shows that Australia's STEM-skilled workforce is only 16% women. We also know that only 0.5% of Australia’s Indigenous population have a university STEM qualification, opposed to 5.2% of the non-Indigenous population. 

This is a significant issue for Indigenous women's prosperity and economic standing, considering half of all future jobs will require STEM skills. To address this challenge, our goal is to empower more Indigenous women to access STEM pathways and help them recognise their legacy as the world’s first scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.

The solution

Building on the outcomes of our Eureka prize winning Indigenous STEM Education Project, the Academy was created to provide a space to empower and mentor young Indigenous women who have been unrepresented in STEM at steady rates over generations. Removing barriers to participation and providing tailored guidance from a dedicated Academic Coordinator is one way we are empowering these young people to see their place in STEM fields.

The Academy offers a culturally enriched space for the exploration of STEM interests, identity and cultural confidence. Access to resources and tools enable young women and their families to pursue academic endeavors that may not otherwise be possible.

Our model offers targeted, long-term, holistic support, to empower young Indigenous women to pursue STEM education and careers.

Our impact

Since its inception in 2019, the Academy has rapidly increased the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young women undertaking studies and careers in STEM. To date, we’ve supported over 600 students nation-wide, with thanks to an initial $20million fund from the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
 
We’re proud of our impact on the lives of the young women and their communities:

  • Over 600 total participants
  • Hold a 96% participation retention rate from Year 8 to Year 12, compared to 63% national average for Indigenous female students attending school/study
  • Delivered over 85 individual STEM experiences
  • Led by over 85% Indigenous women staff members, including those in leadership roles
  • Created space for Indigenous young women and staff to present and speak at prominent conferences and events.
  • Winners 2023 The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Impact Excellence Medal
  • Winners of People’s Choice Award 2023 Northern Territory Science Week Awards 2023

Read more about our impact with student stories below.

Our partners

The Academy has now reached young Indigenous women in every state and territory in Australia and that provides wider opportunities for Australian STEM professionals and their companies to get involved. The Academy aims  to expand this award-winning program beyond our initial government investment, opening up further spaces and places for young Indigenous women to join the Academy and pursue their own STEM career.

If you are an organisation which would love to be a part of this award-winning program and inspire more young Indigenous women to pursue STEM, please reach out. We’d love to hear from Industry supporters looking to co-design or deliver opportunities. There are one-off sponsorship opportunities available that can be tailored to your local region, or we welcome national investment. 

If you are a STEM professional who would like to offer their time to meet and inspire young Indigenous women from across Australia, we’d also like to hear from you. Child safety checks will apply. We want to hear from Educators and schools who have eligible young Indigenous women with STEM interests. We offer year-round intakes, dependent on ages and locations. Academy Academic Coordinators can visit your school to discuss the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy. 

Our news stories

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