The female Sea Cadets recently got to meet Masego Mosupye, a Chemical Engineer and ex-Naval Officer who is working to empower more women in STEM careers and spaces.
South Africa (09 August 2023) – “Globally, women with qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are under-represented, and South Africa is no different. (Denise Mhlanga). In South Africa, less than 13% of women choose to study in STEM disciplines, with men accounting for up to 28% according to the Global Gender Report, 2021.
Various organisations have taken upon the task of educating young girls about STEM careers in an attempt to increase the numbers, and amongst these is the South African Women in Engineering (SA WomEng) Non-Profit organisation. SA WomEng is a multi-award winning social enterprise, developing high-skilled girls and women for the engineering and technology industries. Their core philosophy is the promotion of STEM, focusing on engineering and technology from primary school to industry. Part of their projects include the #1MillionGirlsInSTEM campaign, which is global campaign initiated in March 2017, to reach 1 Million girls (aged 13 – 18) through STEM education and awareness initiatives. This programme is in collaboration with UNESCO. The #1MillionGirlsInSTEM campaign is a key component of WomEng’s efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms Masego Mosupye, a Chemical Engineer, ex-Naval Officer and now ARMSCOR employee, is a SA WomEng #1MillionGirlsInSTEM ambassador and is using established new networks as well as relationships to continuously grow the campaign through initiatives in her community. She partnered up with Mrs Historina Hlanze, an Electrical Engineer, also ex-Naval Officer and now ROMANO SOLAR employee, to present various careers in STEM to 45 female sea cadets at TS Woltemade.
The girls were in Grades 6 to 12, between the ages of 12 – 18. The South African Sea Cadets are a Non-Profit organisation dedicated to training and preparing school-going boys and girls for a career in the Maritime Industry.
Ms Mosupye & Mrs Hlanze endeavour to continue with these educational presentations until a larger audience is reached and the knowledge is transferred such that the young girls receiving this education on STEM careers, actually use it to join the STEM fields and end up becoming ambassadors for STEM careers in the future.
BRAVO ZULU LADIES!
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