Elaine Carey
Chief Commercial Officer, Three Ireland and Three UK
The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are central to how business and society will operate and are crucial in the solutions we develop to address climate change.
Careers in STEM are challenging, rewarding and very flexible in the career paths they offer. However, STEM generally — particularly maths, technology and engineering — suffers from both a skills shortage and a lack of diversity in the workforce.
Providing options in education
The number of students from areas of socioeconomic disadvantage pursuing STEM courses and careers remains low, despite more students from such backgrounds entering third level education. Moreover, the number of students from disadvantaged communities taking higher-level mathematics in the senior cycle is below the national average.
We, at Three Ireland, together with Trinity College Dublin are delighted to offer a new Connect to STEM scholarship which will fund the creation of 25 scholarships for women in STEM over five years and two teacher fellowships for three years.
Our partnership hopes to develop and execute STEM scholarships for women at the undergraduate level.
Scholarships for students
We are taking steps to further promote diversity and inclusion in Trinity’s STEM student population.
Our partnership hopes to develop and execute STEM scholarships for women at the undergraduate level. The scholarships — valued at €20,000 each (over a four-year degree) — are aimed at attracting women residents in Ireland to study STEM subjects at Trinity College Dublin. We are supporting 25 undergraduate scholarships over the next five years.
Fellowships for teachers
The Trinity Access Teacher Fellows programme aims to encourage the study of higher-level mathematics in schools within areas of concentrated disadvantage. The initiative will help empower teachers and students to increase their level of interest and competency in mathematics. This will open up opportunities for students to pursue courses and careers in the full range of STEM disciplines.
Three Ireland is supporting the project by funding the appointment of two teacher fellows who will be seconded from the Department of Education and Skills to work as part of the Trinity Access project team.
The technology sector must recruit employees from a range of backgrounds to drive greater innovation and diversity in the workplace. As a large employer in the STEM sector, we recognise the role we play at Three Ireland to ensure the talent pool is as diverse as possible, and these scholarships are part of our efforts.
