A new four-year collaboration between financial services leader Fidelity Investments Ireland and Dublin City University will provide a programme of scholarships to tackle the persistent underrepresentation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths, both in the workplace and in education.
This collaboration with DCU Faculty of Engineering and Computing, DCU Sport and the DCU Access Programme will provide a wide range of supports to encourage more young women from diverse backgrounds to pursue study and careers in STEM.
In addition to funding scholarships for women from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, the Fidelity Investments Ireland Women in STEM Fund will provide scholarships that support female student athletes to achieve in sport and in STEM, and will establish a new scholarship for women pursuing the undergraduate BSc in Computing at DCU.
Through this scholarship, Fidelity Investments Ireland will also be involved in a suite of initiatives to promote STEM courses and careers at DCU’s Faculty of Engineering and Computing, including the ComputeTY outreach initiative that teaches Transition Year students how to programme, student mentoring and career visioning sessions, Engineers Week events and a Women in STEM prize for final-year students.
Executive Dean of DCU Faculty of Engineering and Computing Dr Jennifer Bruton stated: “Fidelity Investments Ireland has long been a supporter of the Faculty of Engineering and Computing, and of diversity in STEM. I am absolutely delighted that Fidelity Ireland has committed to broadening and extending their commitment to our students and our work.
As a result of Fidelity Investments Ireland’ support, we can enhance the impact of our outreach activities, such as ComputeTY, to encourage girls to engage with STEM at an early and formative age. In addition, Fidelity Ireland’s generous support allows us to financially reward and recognise female excellence at undergraduate level, while the commitment and engagement of their broader team will allow students to avail of access to career advice and mentorship sessions. This combination of outreach, financial support, sponsorship and career visioning speaks to our joint commitment to improving gender representation imbalances in STEM, and to DCU’s mission to transform lives and societies.”
