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OUR PHILOSOPHY
OUR WHY
We exist to empower girls with the confidence to pursue Engineering.
Currently, Australia is facing a shortage of Engineers
As of 2022, only 13% of Engineers in Australia are female. While this is not representative of Australia's population, herein lies a possible solution to meeting Australia's shortage of Engineers.
Engineers Australia released a report (June, 2022) with findings that "girls don't choose to study engineering...[as they] don't know what engineering is, and what engineers do."
That's why we, The STEAM Engine Co.,was created...to weld the gaps in Australia's Engineering pipeline.
Our Mission to Weld the Cracks in Australia's Engineering 'Talent' Pipeline
Source: The STEAM Engine Co.
MISSION
Currently in Australia, 15% of undergraduate engineering students are female. So it comes as no surprise that less than 50% of engineers are women. Hence...
Our mission is to see 50% of the Australian undergraduate engineering cohort be female by 2030.
HOW?
Objective #1
To improve the confidence of girls to pursue Engineering through enhancing their:
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Growth Mindset + Grit
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Spatial Skills
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Experiences to Explore Engineering
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Exposure to Role Models in Engineering
These have been chosen to reflect the research findings on how to positively engage girls with STEM-related careers such as Engineering. This includes research from Engineers Australia, Sheryl Sorby, Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth.
Objective #2
To improve the preparedness of Teachers to bring engineering thinking and confidence into their classrooms.
1. Current
Engineering Students +
Graduates
2. Pre-Service Teachers
P-4
Future Engineering Students
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Growth Mindset + Grit
Did you know that in Australia, 90% of female engineering students chose Engineering because they were confident at maths? If you are familiar with Carol Dweck's research, you'll be familiar with the idea that to have confidence in doing maths, you need a growth mindset. That means using Grit, as discussed by Angela Duckworth to persevere through challenges, like a maths problem.
That's why our programs are not easy. Take Violet, our robot - you have to build her with no instructions. That's right, a chance to get hands-on and become a master builder (LEGO Movie reference). The same applies to STEAM City. We have been in a workshop where for about 90 minutes we had to stand back as students made no progress trying to decipher how to engineer their city - it was tough to watch, but 100% worth it when they finally engineered STEAM City to completion - you just need a bit of Grit and a Growth Mindset to thrive at Engineering challenges.
Spatial Skills
A major contributing factor to low retention of female engineering students at university is their low spatial skills. Improving their spatial skills can increase their likelihood of staying in engineering by almost 30%. The same applies to school students where strong spatial skills is associated with higher uptake in higher level maths and science subjects, that would typically be required for entry into engineering.
That's why we start our Violet Robotics workshop with a building exercise. It's also a major component of STEAM City where students are required to translate 2D design criteria into physical 3D models.
At The STEAM Engine Co. our STEAM City program has been designed to provide participants with a simulated, interactive and hands-on experience of what engineering is and what engineers do.
In essence, it is an escape room that requires participants to use their growth mindset and grit to design an engineering solution to their client's challenge in the allocated time.
We conduct all of our programs with role models from engineering degrees that girls in schools can see themselves becoming.
At the end of our STEAM City program we host a Q&A Panel Discussion with Engineering Graduates/Students for School Students to ask questions about their experiences with VCE, University Course Selection and Careers in STEM.
Pre-Service Teacher Education
Realistically, we cannot engage with every female school student in Australia by 2030. However, Teachers do engage with every school student. Hence, we provide professional development for pre-service teachers from a range of teaching areas, not just in STEM, to empower them with the confidence to bring Engineering thinking into their classrooms.
If the problem is that "girls don't choose to study engineering...[as they] don't know what engineering is, and what engineers do" then we think their Teachers are going to be best placed to inform their students of their capacity to pursue Engineering and how it has a versatile career pathway create real-world change.
Examples of
IMPACT
YR 8 GIRLS
73% Improvement in Confidence to do Engineering
58% Improvement in Likelihood to do Engineering
93% Improvement in Confidence to do Coding
1ST YEAR FEMALE ENGINEERING STUDENTS
100% Gained a lot from Engineering a Miniature City
94% Gained a lot from Hearing from 3rd-Final Year Female Engineering Students
71% Gained a lot from Learning Tips for Thriving in their Engineering Degree
PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS
21% Improvement in Confidence to Teach Engineering
33% Improvement in Preparedness to Teach Engineering
ARE YOUR GIRLS READY TO ENGINEER THEIR FUTURE?
Engineeing Education
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