Leading energy infrastructure company Jemena has partnered with Monash University to offer an annual scholarship for a female student in a bid to help a new generation of female talent on a pathway to becoming an electrical engineer.
The Jemena Industry Leader Scholarship will offer a female year three or four electrical engineering student a $10,000 AUD scholarship each year. Jemena general manager of assets and operations—electricity Karl Edwards said Jemena would like to see more women pursue a career in electrical engineering and hoped the annual scholarship would play a role in the continued path to gender equity in what has been traditionally a male-dominated industry.
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“Sadly the gender gap in our industry remains, with women currently comprising only around 15 per cent of graduates in the field of engineering. Across our business, we’re working to improve gender representation, and we are supporting more women to consider a STEM career as part of our approach to diversity and inclusion.
“Electrical engineers have a pivotal role to play in our net-zero future and ensuring we have diverse representation at the table is extremely important.
“We know from research supported by the Monash Energy Institute that over the next 30 years, the energy system needs to undergo more change than it has in the past 100 years. To ensure the network is ready for Australia’s renewable energy future, we are going to need a diverse and highly-skilled workforce capable of finding long-term solutions to the energy challenge while ensuring the electricity grid is ready for increased renewable energy sources,” he said.
Monash University interim Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Chris Davies said the five-year agreement—the first partnership the university’s electrical engineering department has developed with an energy distribution company—would provide significant support to women studying in the vital science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) field.
“Jemena and Monash University share an ambition to transform the energy sector by supporting the development of the next generation of Australian electrical engineers. We are particularly grateful for Jemena’s generous support of women in STEM. Thanks to the Jemena Industry Leader Scholarship, we can encourage and support women to thrive and focus on achieving their ambitions in electrical engineering,” Professor Davies said.
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In addition, two Jemena Energy Prizes worth $1,000 per annum will be awarded to the top-performing first year student in the subjects of ‘Engineering design: Cleaner, safer, smarter’ and ‘Engineering mobile apps’. The first year prizes are aimed at encouraging promising students to consider a career in electrical engineering before they’ve chosen a speciality. Students will need to apply for the scholarship and prizes via the Monash University Scholarship portal.
The Jemena Industry Leader Scholarship and Jemena Energy Prizes offered by Monash University builds on Jemena’s long-term approach to developing talented individuals who can make a real difference to Australia’s energy transition and create sustainable energy solutions with communities.
