On the morning of October 16 in Hanoi, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) hosted the Consultation Program "Developing solutions to promote the participation of women and girls in STEM education and employment".
The event was organized and implemented by the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (VNEI), Thuy Loi University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology Investment and Development Company Limited (BK Holdings).
Attending the consultation program were Mr. Le Toan Thang - Deputy Director of the National Center for Supporting Innovative Startups NSSC, Ministry of Science and Technology; Ms. Tan Anh - Head of Human Resources Development Department, National Innovation Center NIC, Ministry of Planning and Investment; Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh - Director of ESG program, FPT Digital Company; together with representatives of universities and colleges, Vietnamese technology corporations, enterprises in the STEM field, members of the VNEI Network and female students in the engineering sector of many universities and colleges in Hanoi and Bac Ninh.
Ms. Vu Thu Hong - Women, Peace and Security Programme Officer - UN Women analyzed the harmful effects of gender stereotypes and their impacts on career guidance for women and girls at the event.
At the event, Ms. Vu Thu Hong - Women, Peace and Security Program Officer - UN Women analyzed the harmful effects of gender stereotypes and their impacts on career guidance for women and girls , especially in the context of the development of the digital economy. Some recommendations from UN Women suggest that there should be scholarship programs, mentoring programs, gender equality education programs from schools, especially completely eliminating discrimination and discrimination against girls in the educational environment. Regarding employment opportunities for women, communication programs to raise awareness, develop policies to support women's advancement, and professional training programs for female workers and female leaders are urgently needed to ensure that they can participate and benefit from the development of the digital economy in a fair and sustainable manner.
Dr. Phung Lan Huong - Director of External Relations of BK Holdings; Deputy Head of Membership Committee, Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network spoke. Photo: NTCC.
On behalf of the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College presented a paper on " Gender imbalance in engineering enrollment ". The paper provided detailed data on the current situation of low female representation in engineering technology - a pillar industry for development. The paper pointed out the consequences of this gender imbalance including lack of diversity and creative thinking, shortage of highly qualified personnel, reduced competitiveness in the international market of technology enterprises, loss of development opportunities for the entire economy... The paper also stated the causes of gender imbalance in STEM from gender stereotypes in education, lack of female role models in the industry and differences in policies/learning opportunities. The recommendation of the paper is that there needs to be bilateral and multilateral cooperation among stakeholders to create comprehensive programs to promote women and girls' participation and success in STEM fields.
Representing Thuy Loi University, Dr. Phan Thi Thanh Huyen presented a paper on “ The current state of gender imbalance in technology sectors in Vietnam ”, expressing the perspective from educational institutions on the existing gender imbalance, especially in technology sectors. The paper clearly pointed out that the current state of gender imbalance originates from the educational environment at all levels, especially the recruitment and career guidance activities that have not focused on gender mainstreaming.
On the side of technology enterprises, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - ESG Program Director of FPT Digital shared about " Recruitment policy and career development support for female employees at FPT Corporation ", accordingly, FPT identified the causes of gender imbalance in the technology sector including: gender bias in recruitment, family care responsibilities and lack of opportunities to learn and improve skills. To eliminate these barriers, FPT has implemented activities such as: Applying AI to reduce gender bias in recruitment; Building policies to help female employees quickly integrate into the company culture; Supporting female employees to take advantage of learning opportunities to make breakthroughs in their careers.
After the discussion session with the participation of representatives from relevant parties to clarify the obstacles and difficulties in the career development of women in STEM industries, the Consultation Program continued with the afternoon session with group activities to develop solutions to promote the participation of women and girls in STEM industries, while providing educational and employment opportunities for them to develop their potential and contribute to the overall development of the economy.
Vietnam.vn
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