Improving soft skills, learning outcomes and employability of women students, graduates, and early career professionals in STEM

Project details

Full project title: Improving soft skills, learning outcomes and employability of women students, graduates, and early career professionals in STEM

Duration: One year (till 31 October 2024)

Funded by: British Council, Mexico

Project team: 

• Dr Tariq Umar - Project Lead; UWE Bristol
• Ms Lourdes Torralba Cadena, Deputy Director Engineering Programmes; Universidad Politécnica de Ramos Arizpe (UPRA), Mexico
• Mr Ricardo Rosales Marines, Deputy Director Planning Department; Universidad Politécnica de Ramos Arizpe (UPRA), Mexico

Associate organisations:

• Asociación de Administradores de Recursos Humanos Coahuila Sureste, A.C. (ARHCOS), Mexico
• Asociación de Industriales y Empresarios de RA (AIERA), Mexico

Project summary

Dr Tariq Umar is leading a British Council Mexico funded under the UK – Americas Partnerships for TNE and Internationalisation to develop a sustainable partnership with the Universidad Politécnica de Ramos Arizpe (UPRA), Mexico in the areas of soft skills, learning outcomes and employability of women students, graduates, and early career professionals to improve their participation and leadership in the STEM disciplines.

Globally, women remain a minority in both STEM education and careers. For example, women represent only 28% of engineering graduates, 22% of artificial intelligence workers and less than one third of tech sector employees. Without equal representation in these fields, women’s participation in shaping technology, research, investments, and policy will remain critically limited. In 2019, women only held 28% of the of managerial positions worldwide with a total of 39% employment. A similar situation exists in Mexico even though women are 49% of the total population. In Mexico, women comprise less than 20% of employed professionals in engineering. The representation of women in the Board of large companies is only 11% and representation in the top management positions is only 4%.

The aim of this project is therefore to develop a partnership between the UPRA, Mexico and the UWE Bristol, UK in the areas of soft skills, learning outcomes and employability of women students, graduates, and early career professionals to improve their participation and leadership in the STEM disciplines. The objectives include:

1. To investigate the current status of women students, graduates and early career professionals in STEM disciplines in Mexico.
2. To investigate and analyse the current provision of support being provided at universities and government levels to women STEM students and early career professionals for their employment and progression.
3. To establish a STEM hub in UPRA to connect women students and early career professionals to experienced women in STEM.
4. To support the academic institutions in Mexico in improving the quality, efficiency, and systems to support women in STEM education focusing on soft skills, learning outcomes and employability.
5. To develop long term and sustainable partnership between UPRA and UWE Bristol to delivering webinars and virtual conferences that bring together students and academics from the UK and the Mexico focusing on soft skills, learning outcomes and employability for women in STEM disciplines.