General Motors of Canada is inspiring technological innovators of the future to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through the support and encouragement of children, particularly young girls.
Today, fewer than half of high school students graduate with senior STEM courses despite the fact that 70 per cent of Canada’s top jobs require this type of education. (Source: Let’s Talk Science, Oct 2016 Release) There is an even greater concern for the decline of women in these programs.
The national enrollment of women in university STEM programs is only 20 per cent on average and just under 14 per cent of the country’s 280,000 professional engineers are women. (Source: Engineers Canada) GM Canada believes that early exposure in a supportive and encouraging environment is the key to shifting mindsets and helping students build confidence to embrace these fields.
“As we work to expand our Canadian engineering base to reach approximately 1,000 positions, fostering a diverse learning environment and challenging young minds is a top priority for us,” said Steve Carlisle, GM Canada president and managing director. “At GM Canada, we are transforming the driver experience through technologies in autonomous development, connectivity, electrification and car sharing. By supporting STEM education programs from elementary school through to University, we are ensuring that the next generation of innovators receives the knowledge and skills to help us lead the future of mobility.”
Through GM’s numerous programs and partnerships, children will gain increased access to STEM education, mentorship opportunities and projects that demonstrate the real-world impact of these careers and increase their interest in pursuing technology and engineering degrees.
These initiatives provide funding to advance education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, information technology and other fields important to the automotive industry:
- STEM Camps – Partnering with The University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Queen’s, Waterloo and McMaster universities to offer summer camp STEM programing to more than 1,000 children. Each program has a dedicated all-girls week.
- A World In Motion – Encouraging students at approximately 60 schools in the Durham District from grades K-8 to pursue STEM careers with the award-winning A World In Motion program. This program brings STEM to life right in the classroom with hands-on engineering activities.
- Elementary School Teacher Professional Development Program – Partnering with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), this program helps promote STEM education in Durham’s elementary schools by ensuring that teachers have the knowledge, confidence and tools to integrate STEM into the classroom and educate their students with a focus on engineering. The initial pilot project will include 20 teachers from 10 schools and will reach approximately 600 students.
- ONWiE – The Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE) was formed in 2005 between all schools and faculties of engineering across Ontario. The objective of this network is to work collaboratively to support current female engineers, students and encourage the next generation of women to pursue careers in engineering. GM Canada is a Cornerstone Partner for ONWiE’s flagship program Go Eng Girl and Go Code Girl. With GM’s support, these programs have nearly doubled in size. ONWiE was recently recognized with a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Award for Science Promotion. ONWiE was recognized with this national award for their programs to address issues around the under representation of women in engineering.
- Canadian Youth STEM 2017 Conference – Organized by the GlenForest Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, the conference inspired more than 1,000 high school students to become future STEM leaders with presentations and hands-on workshops provided by STEM post-secondary programs and leading organizations.
- FIRST Robotics – In partnership with FIRST Robotics & Argosy Foundation, GM Canada brought more than 80 female high school students together for a Girls in FIRST Weekend to discuss boosting self-confidence and breaking through barriers, the importance of mentors and how one individual can impact others. Beyond the Girls in FIRST Weekend, GM Canada also supports 30 high school teams that compete in annual FIRST Robotics competitions.
- Formula SAE Hybrid/Electric – GM Canada has created a unique crowd-funding program where the company matches all donations raised for five university Formula SAE Hybrid/Electric competitive teams (up to $25,000) and provides creative assistance to help with the team’s video pitches. Additionally, GM Canada is a supporter of the only Canadian racing competition for the teams, Formula North in Barrie, Ontario.
- Take 2 Program – Launched in May 2017 in Canada, the program provides training, professional development and networking opportunities for experienced engineering professionals returning to the workforce after taking a break from their career for two or more years. The first four positions under this program will be placed at GM Canada’s new Canadian Technical Centre in Markham, Ontario.