As an avid supporter of the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Schneider Electric has now announced The Schneider Scholarship which will see a successful female student receive €3,000 to aid their engineering based studies. The successful students may also have the opportunity to complete a paid summer internship with the company.
The scholarship will be an annual competition and will reopen each September to new applicants. Students will be asked questions such as “Why are you choosing engineering as a career choice?” and “Give us one example of your problem solving skills and how you overcome obstacles?”.
Inspiring engineering students
Schneider Electric and DIT have a long standing relationship following its donation of €25,000 worth of engineering equipment over the last number of years.
The company also announced the launch of the ESTeEm mentorship programme earlier in 2017, which saw engineering students paired with successful women mentors from both Schneider Electric and multinational company Arup to offer guidance about career opportunities, provide support and encourage more women into the field.
Mark Keogh, VP for Partner & Industry Business at Schneider Electric Ireland, Francesca Stone, Diversity & Inclusion Lead and Sr Talent Acquisition Specialist and Early Talent Manager Stacey Greenwood were recently invited to guest speak at the DIT following the mentorship launch, and presented on the company’s UK & Ireland Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and Early Talent recruitment to DIT female students, Senior faculty leadership, as well as Arup and Schneider Electric mentors and mentees.
Supporting women in STEM
As a recognised leader in promoting gender equality in the workplace, Schneider Electric has developed a number of initatives to enable and encourage more women to enter and be successful in the industry.
From school reachout programmes via activities like science fairs, school projects and career events through to its recently launched Global Family Leave Policy - Schneider Electric is working to improve the gender balance across its organisation at all levels. Be it inspiring a young student to consider engineering as a great career option or enabling and fully supporting women at the peak of their engineering career to return to work following maternity leave - Schneider Electric wants to ensure the future of engineering is truly diverse and inclusive.
Other programmes in place to support this include female-friendly graduate programmes, un-conscious bias training, a commitment to women in leadership, the Women’s Empowerment Principles and the UN’s HeForShe campaign.
Attracting and retaining impressive women
By transforming corporate behaviour, Schneider Electric has certainly made diversity one of its key business and people strategy components.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.