By Barb McKay

A global engineering and technology recruitment firm with a presence in Kincardine has created a project that it hopes will encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM careers. Tundra Technology says in STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields women are still under-represented. According to StatsCan’s National Household Survey, among female STEM graduates aged 25-34 only 23 per cent earn degrees in engineering and just 30 per cent are math and computer science grads. Tundra, which works with companies, including Bruce Power, to fill job vacancies with skilled professionals, developed a project to connect women about to graduate high school with female mentors who have successful STEM careers. On May 9, Tundra unveiled the Launchpad Project in Toronto, the first stop in its mentorship tour. The event connected 145 high school students with more than three dozen industry professionals. The mentors help future STEM grads by providing valuable educational and career insights throughout their transition into their first year of post- secondary education and possibly beyond. Through Launchpad, Tundra is also providing $1,500 scholarships to 10 women enroled in STEM courses. Christina Esposito, marketing and communications lead with Tundra, developed the project with the company’s CEO. She said the company is aiming to grow the program to its offices across North America and is looking for STEM mentors in
each of those communities, including Kincardine. “It’s definitely in our cards because we want to stretch out as far as we can to get women interested in STEM careers.” With an employer as large as Bruce Power, there are opportunities for women who are interested in those fields. Esposito said companies are looking to diversify their portfolios when it comes to hiring. “The more we get women involved in STEM the more of them we can add to our hiring pool. It’s a win-win.” Anyone who is interested in becoming a mentor or signing up for a future Launchpad Project can visit www.tundratechnical. ca/blog/2019/04/03/tundras-launchpad-projectis-officially-underwayclick-here-for-more/.