OTTAWA, Ontario and
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Canada-U.S. Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and
Business Leaders (the Council) has announced recommendations for
the second pillar of their groundbreaking bilateral initiative.
Linamar Corporation CEO Linda
Hasenfratz and General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra are leading this effort, which aims
to expand the number of women and girls studying and pursuing
careers in science, technology, engineering and math, collectively
known as STEM.
"In the U.S., 50 percent of middle school girls say they're
interested in computer science. But by high school, less than two
percent of young women plan to major in computer science," says
Mary Barra, chairman and CEO,
General Motors Company. "These girls need a path, they need
support, they need more role models. As industries continue to
transform, improving access to STEM education is not only crucial
to our ability to innovate, it helps communities attract and keep
good jobs that will drive the future."
"Increasing the Number of Women in STEM" is the second of five
pillar reports to be released by the Council. The recommendations
of the Council aim to increase the number of female business
leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as contribute to the economic
development and competitiveness of the Canadian and U.S.
economies.
"Further increasing women in STEM studies and careers is
critical to fully harness the potential of 100% of our population,"
says Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of
Linamar Corporation. "STEM grads have proven to be great
entrepreneurs, starting businesses that employ thousands of people
which every economy needs more of. STEM grads are also desperately
needed in many existing organizations as well as they transition
through innovation to increasingly sophisticated technical
solutions to many tasks."
An education in STEM is one of the most effective tools for
launching new businesses, and extensive research has proven the
economic advantage of a diverse workforce. While more women are
studying and launching successful careers in STEM fields, they are
still not yet at parity with their male counterparts in many areas.
Key barriers affecting women's interest in and pursuit of STEM
careers include: conscious and unconscious biases; lack of
awareness regarding STEM programs and opportunities; and limited
access to female STEM role models and professional mentors.
To overcome these hurdles, the Council has made recommendations
across four categories of action:
- First – across all four categories – the Council recommends
that the Canadian and U.S. governments develop a public-private
partnership to create an online STEM portal for teachers, students,
parents and businesses that hosts information on STEM career paths,
programs, and learning tools and features role models and
successful case studies to inspire and motivate.
- The four recommendation categories include:
-
- Communicate and educate
- Identify and share tool
- Identify and promote programs
- Mentor and empower women in STEM
Within these four categories, the Council's research-based
recommendations include:
- Expand school curricula to include more STEM topics in courses
designed to be engaging and build confidence and increase academic
outreach to women
- Rethink the approach to post-secondary STEM education through
program design, faculty makeup, admission requirements and
recruitment efforts
- Encourage companies to develop STEM outreach programs and
partnerships with academic institutions
- Recommend that STEM-centered organizations set participation
goals for under-represented minorities broadly and that corporate
partners request this information
- Strengthen training to address conscious and unconscious
biases
- Develop formal corporate and academic mentorship, role model,
and retention programs
For further information on the second pillar recommendations
visit https://advancingwomeninbusiness.com/pillar-two/
The Council is delivering these recommendations to Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau and
President Donald J. Trump as well as
the private sector to help reduce the barriers limiting women's
participation in STEM and supporting their educational and
professional advancement.
The Council will release the remaining three pillar reports in
intervals through July 2018. The
reports will focus on attracting female entrepreneurs; increasing
women's access to capital; and advancing women as leaders in the
private sector.
The Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders is comprised of ten of the
top female business executives in the
United States and Canada.
Their mandate is to develop recommendations that can reduce
barriers that limit women's participation in business,
support and develop women's professional advancement, and
assist women in starting and scaling their businesses. Their
mission is to increase the number of women business leaders and
entrepreneurs, and contribute to the economic growth, and
competitiveness of the Canadian and US economies. The Council is an
independent and autonomous group that makes recommendations to
inform the governments as appropriate. The Council is
co-chaired by Linda Hasenfratz,
Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corp and Julie Sweet, Chief Executive Officer –
North America of Accenture.
www.advancingwomeninbusiness.com
Linda Hasenfratz is the
Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corporation. Since her tenure as
CEO started in 2002, Hasenfratz has grown the company from an
$800 million enterprise to over a
$6.5 billion company. Hasenfratz sits
on various boards including CIBC, the Business Council of
Canada, Faurecia and Catalyst
Canada. Throughout her career she has been honoured through various
awards including the 2014 National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
of the Year Award for Canada. In
May of 2016 Linda Hasenfratz along with her father Frank Hasenfratz, was inducted into the Canadian
Business Hall of Fame.
Mary Barra is Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Company. She was elected
Chairman of the GM Board of Directors on January 4, 2016 and has served as CEO since
January 15, 2014. Under Barra's
leadership, GM envisions a world with zero crashes, zero emissions,
and zero congestion. Barra is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees and the
Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. She also
serves on the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Company. More
details on Barra's career and related activities can be found via
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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SOURCE The Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders