Ramboll supports young female talent in STEM through HunterWiSE Outreach Program

Supporting the HunterWiSE program as an Industry Partner, Ramboll, a global engineering, architecture and consultancy business, is providing opportunities for women and girls in the Hunter Valley’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector to connect, collaborate, and share experiences.

The company’s Newcastle office is partnering with the Hunter Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (HunterWiSE) Schools Outreach Program for female students in Year 8. HunterWiSE Outreach aims to positively influence how school-aged girls perceive STEM, encouraging participation in STEM education and careers.

Fiona Robinson, Country Director for Ramboll in Australia, said the engineering profession still has a long way to go to diversify its workforce but HunterWiSE, a Newcastle-grown initiative that supports and nurtures the important contribution of women in STEM to regional economies through high school programs, scholarships for undergraduate students, and events, is helping overcome that.

“The proportion of qualified professional engineers who are female in Australia is about 13%. Through programs like HunterWiSE we want to change this. Ramboll’s Australian business is 51% female, but we want to see this type of parity throughout the profession,” Ms Robinson said.

As an Industry Partner, Ramboll will provide in-kind staff hours to participate in the outreach program. Ramboll’s contribution will enable more local schools and more young female talent to be exposed to the STEM field early on, where they will be assisted to develop related skills and get a better understanding of STEM as a career path through mentoring by the Ramboll team.

“I’m proud of our team’s contribution to this meaningful project. Several of our Newcastle team have been mentors in this program, including myself. Inspiring young female students early is a key avenue to addressing gender equality in traditionally male-dominated industries such as engineering and construction,” Ms Robinson said.

Ramboll’s participation in the HunterWiSE program is funded by the Ramboll Foundation. As a foundation owned company where revenue is reinvested into the continued development of the business, the Ramboll Foundation supports philanthropic endeavours, including awarding donations to research, studies and educational initiatives.

Robert Arpe, Chair of the Ramboll Foundation said: “Higher education plays a pivotal role in strengthening the foundation for creating viable and sustainable solutions for future challenges. We are delighted to support HunterWiSE Outreach, which helps increase the interest of young women in the STEM field to allow society to gain a strengthened, qualified, and diversified workforce within the areas of natural sciences and technology.”

The Ramboll Foundation has supported a range of higher education projects across the world, most recently Ungdommens Naturvidenskabelige Forening (UNF), a Danish science non-governmental organisation that promotes the interest of natural sciences among young people.

HunterWiSE co-founder Professor Anna Giacomini said HunterWiSE initiatives are made possible thanks to the generous support of the University of Newcastle and industry partners.

“The Newcastle-based Ramboll team has championed HunterWiSE since our beginnings, and we're delighted to formalise this relationship in 2024. In partnering with HunterWiSE, Ramboll will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between education and industry, and expand opportunities for students in our region. We’re grateful for this support and look forward to working together this year,” Professor Giacomini said.