Our mission:
To expand young women’s knowledge and understanding of careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering.
#wOMaNFACTURER
The #womanfacturer initiative was created to expand young women’s knowledge of careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering. The hashtag #womanfacturer joins the words “woman” and “manufacturer” in an effort to bring women into the manufacturing field. Several focus group sessions indicated young women were unable to describe an advanced manufacturer or engineer. This lack of awareness suggested young women’s lack of early exposure to these career paths, resulting in missed career opportunities. The #womanfacturer initiative strives to provide young women with the knowledge and confidence to pursue these careers.
how did we start?
Advanced Learning Interns at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Anna Brooks and Kaitlyn Lipscomb, realized few young women in their community knew about careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering. As a result, many of their area’s local training programs and occupations in these fields were dominated by males. Anna and Kaitlyn helped champion the #womanfacturer initiative in an attempt to present clear career pathways in advanced manufacturing and engineering to young women in Southern Virginia. Anna and Kaitlyn conducted focus groups with young women, ages 8-14. The participants completed surveys before each session showing their preexisting knowledge of and interest in these careers. After each focus group, the young women were re-surveyed to see if their understanding and mentality regarding these careers had changed. The majority of young women showed interest and a better understanding of advanced manufacturing and engineering. Even the slightest exposure improved young women’s understanding of these two fields. As a result, Anna and Kaitlyn partnered with IALR Communications Intern Cassidy Pruitt to create a video and website for young women interested in learning more about these career paths.
Additionally, Anna and Kaitlyn led a grass-roots effort to feature the graphic to the left on informative, persuasive poster art for students. The posters can be found in Danville Public Schools and Pittsylvania County Schools as part of the #womanfacturer initiative. It encourages young women to explore occupations in advanced manufacturing and engineering and leads them to this website for career resources and opportunities.
LEARN MORE
|
|
|
|
