Scholarship to propel next gen of female electrical engineers

Energy company Jemena has partnered with Monash University to offer an annual scholarship for a female student in a bid to encourage a new generation of female talent to pursue electrical engineering careers.

The Jemena Industry Leader Scholarship will offer a female year three or four electrical engineering student a $10,000 scholarship each year. Jemena’s General Manager of Assets & Operations – Electricity, Karl Edwards, said that Jemena hoped the annual scholarship would play a role in the ongoing pursuit of gender equity in what has been traditionally a male-dominated industry.

“Sadly the gender gap in our industry remains, with women currently comprising only around 15% 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,” Davies said.

In addition, two Jemena Energy Prizes worth $1000 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.

Jemena Senior Asset Performance Engineer Catherine Lee studied Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University in the 1990s and said the Jemena Industry Leader Scholarship would help female students focus on their studies without worrying about finances.

“I remember the third-year workload was really stressful and I considered dropping the course at that time. But I was lucky enough to have a scholarship and this support helped keep me going. Without this support I may not have completed my degree and got to where I am today. Once I was in the workforce, I subsequently was able to complete two Masters degrees through Monash University part-time, with support from Jemena.

“Electrical engineering as a career for women has changed a lot over the years. I was one of the first female electrical engineers at Jemena, which I’m really proud of, and it’s great to see more and more women considering a career in STEM. I think women bring different skills and experience to the industry and often look at things in different perspective, which helps to innovate and improve the traditional ways of working, minimising risks and oversight,” she said.

Jemena said its scholarship and prizes offered at Monash University would build on the company’s long-term approach to developing talented individuals who can make a difference to Australia’s energy transition and create sustainable energy solutions with communities.

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