Girls urged to ‘think STEM’ as they make CAO choice

I Wish urges students to grow their future with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

As thousands of students finalise their CAO forms ahead of the start of the 2019 college term, the organisers of I Wish are asking both female students and their parents to “think Stem”.

The normal closing date for CAO applications is 5.15 pm on Friday, February 1st.

Ireland’s STEM sector is already missing out on so much female talent, with official figures from 2018 showing;

• Just 20% of students beginning University Physics courses were female
• Similarly only 20% of students entering the first year of university ICT courses were female
• In the country’s Institutes of Technology, on average just 10% of entrants to Software and App development courses were women

Co-founder of I Wish Caroline O’Driscoll says: ‘Many of those filling out CAO forms will have attended I Wish during their Transition Year and we really hope they were inspired to add STEM courses to their list of choices. Fifteen of the twenty fastest growing careers in the world require a background in math or science, showing the strong link between choosing STEM courses and the careers of tomorrow’’.

Nearly six thousand Transition Year girls will attend this year’s I Wish events in Cork and Dublin, which kick off next Thursday, February 7th.

Organisers are driven to inspire these students by showing them the broader horizons STEM can offer. With time on their side before they have to face their own CAO process, I Wish is calling on those coming along next week to consider classes relating to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths when choosing subjects for next year.

I Wish co-founder Gillian Keating says: ‘We know this is a pivotal and exciting time for students and their families as they consider career choices. Our message to young women is, if you are tempted to take on a STEM course – go for it! So often we hear from I Wish attendees that they want a career where they can help other people but don’t see how STEM facilitates that, or they are simply afraid to take it on, thinking they’re not good enough. Our message is that a career in STEM allows you to improve the world around us, all it takes is for you to have an interest in the course and the determination to follow that through. Why should anyone be better than you?’

I Wish is also dedicated to helping secondary school teachers to help students ‘think STEM’. The unique Teach IT zone offers practical advice, support and inspiration at the events in Cork City Hall and Dublin’s RDS. This year will see unconscious bias training and confidence and resilience workshops being hosted
at the event.

A limited number of spaces are still available for the Dublin leg of this year’s I Wish. Interested students and schools can visit www.iwish.ie for more information.

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