Leveraging our portfolio for STEM education
An industry partnership initiative that actively promoted Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to girls through experiencing a live build at Dexus’s 100 Mount Street, North Sydney (100 Mount) has encouraged girls to consider a career in property.
STEM industries are vital to Australia’s economic growth however women are significantly under-represented in STEM education, comprising just 16% of those with STEM qualifications.
STEM+ is a partnership initiative of Dexus, 100 Mount’s builder Laing O’Rourke, and project delivery partners Rider Levett Bucknall and Savills.
The program immersed students from the local girls’ secondary school, Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College into the construction and engineering industry. The program’s modules aligned with the construction of 100 Mount, a 5 star Green Star office tower that was completed in May 2019. The modules included content such as innovative technologies and sustainability in construction, involving onsite participation and engagement throughout the year via Google Classroom.
More than 60 girls across years 8 to 12 participated in the two-year program, involving direct interactions with the industry partners. Students were provided key insights into STEM careers that were not typical science-based careers including digital engineering, construction, research and development, law, quantity surveying, commerce, property management, human resources and marketing.
As a result of the program, there were fundamental changes to the students’ school subject selections and university pathways, with 25% of 2018 graduates pursuing science related careers. STEM+ demonstrates Dexus’s commitment to leverage its development projects for social impact, with students realising a pathway into an industry that they never thought was possible.
STEM+ students have been offered work experience places with Dexus and Laing O’Rourke. They have the opportunity to continue to participate in the program throughout their tertiary studies and a graduate position will also be offered.
“This program has had a palpable, culture shift with regards to women in the construction and property industry – when they could see it, they could be it.”
Nicole Christensen,
Principal of Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy