INDUSTRY

Diversity and inclusion framework in Australian SMEs
Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) 

Australia’s future workforce will need skills and knowledge to equip them for emerging technology-driven careers. Encouraging diversity and inclusion in businesses will enable them to access a broad and diverse pool of skilled workers, increasing innovation
Consultations for the Women in STEM Decadal Plan highlighted that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are a key gap in industry efforts to address gender equity. ATSE is developing a national gender equity framework tailored for SMEs, including a toolkit to support them in improving gender equity in their workplace and their business practices. The framework will be simple, low cost, and not impose a regulatory burden.
ATSE has developed a draft SME diversity and inclusion framework based on work by the Royal Academy of Engineering, research into best practice, and consultation with Australian SMEs. We will be demonstrating this framework and asking for your feedback on its implementation.

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Shifting the spectrum of male engagement with gender equity - has the pendulum swung too far?
SAGE WA Regional Network

We know male advocates are out there, and we need more. We know some men are pushing back as they feel threatened. Some argue the benefits of gender equity are only starting to be realised. Others think gender equity has progressed too far. What should our response be? 
In this workshop, we will consider scenarios or situations where individuals have felt comfortable to communicate their true feelings/concerns about gender equity - has it gone too far, what's in 'it' for men, the Athena SWAN pilot, or some of the AS initiatives, and observers have been uncertain about how to respond in a way that is constructive and encourages further engagement or discussion.
The WA Network intends that out of the workshop will come a resource that will assist staff to respond to such situations within the framework: 'If this, then that...'. 

WORKPLACE CULTURE

The importance of mentoring to career developments
EY

This workshop will explore the importance of mentoring to career development, the barriers to access mentors and discuss and progress best practice principles for successful mentoring. The workshop will be instrumental in advancing recommendation 3.3 of the decadal plan, which highlights the need for formal national program to foster mentorship of women in STEM. The workshop will include experiences from mentors from across industry and academia.

VISIBILITY

Achieving diversity in STEM focused media
Australian Academy of Science

In Australia, women are quoted as sources in 26% of science and technology related news stories. To increase diversity and the visibility of women working in STEM, focused action is required from a variety of partners across the media landscape. In this workshop you will hear the positive actions being taken by researchers, communication officers, journalists and media outlets and work together to determine a set of actions you can take away and implement in your own work practices.

EDUCATION

Connecting girls and STEM careers
Dr Rebecca Vivian - University of Adelaide
Leanne Robertson - Education Services Australia, Girls in STEM Toolkit

In this session you will hear about the findings from various studies regarding girls’ current disengagement in STEM activities, STEM subject selection, STEM careers and the impact on the Australian workforce. The presenters will then provide information around the Seven Principles for a Gender Inclusive Learning Environment. These principles were identified through the review of the research during the development of the Girls in STEM Toolkit (the GiST). Participants will have the opportunity to workshop how the seven principles might apply to tertiary studies and workplaces and then investigate actions they can take in their own workplace.
This workshop is a collaboration between the University of Adelaide and Education Services Australia who have both been leading projects in digital technologies funded through the Australian Department of Education and Training and investigating opportunities for girls in STEM.

LEADERSHIP

Fair play in competitive selection and defining ‘merit’
EMCR Forum

Scientists have incredible demands as managers, accountants, media writers, organisers, public speakers, authors, editors, teachers, mentors, and if time allows: research scientists. For Early-Mid Career Researchers (EMCRs), maintaining a competitive research profile can be so insurmountable that talent is lost.
Under the guise of excellence, EMCRs are pitted against each other with arbitrary definitions of merit. Peer review quality is variable, and unregulated with judgement passed by peers who may be only tangentially aware of the research. Meanwhile the Productivity Commission inquiry and the EMCR Forum collected stories of mental distress, sexual harassment, and bullying.
Meanwhile, outdated views of effort (first/communicating authorships) is founded on the heroic model of individualist researcher who is divorced from team effort and (un)conscious bias. The consequences permeate beyond spreadsheet metrics: the propagation of stereotypes (the overachieving woman, the supervisor god etc), widespread mental ill health, and disincentives to collaborate. Ultimately this view cripples our efforts to bring equity and diversity in STEM.
This workshop participant will work with facilitators from ANSTO and the EMCR Forum Executive to identify plausible solutions to allow for equal participation and work towards a true meritocracy that can be implemented at a personal or organisation level.

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Walking in the shoes of others: Seeing and overcoming the complexities of intersectionality
SAGE ACT Regional Network

This workshop provides participants the opportunity to actively contribute to understanding and educating others in why intersectionality is important for innovative organisations. What do we mean when we say intersectionality? Do siloed approaches to different identity categories limit capability in overcoming real-world barriers? How do we create inclusive environments? How do we know we are moving forward? What evidence and data assists in this space? This is an action-based workshop with outcomes that participants can take back to their home organisation. It also provides cross-institutional opportunities for collaborative research recommendations on this important topic. Bring your feet, and be ready to walk!

VISIBILITY

Gender equity tools for conferences
Professor Jane Latimer - University of Sydney
Dr Darren Saunders - UNSW

You can’t be what you can’t see, so role models count. They shape our beliefs about who a STEM professional is, and who they could become. Only 16% of Australia’s STEM-skilled workforce are women, with even fewer in leadership positions. So it’s little wonder that women in STEM are less frequently represented in the media, and at high profile conferences and events. By limiting the range of perspectives, we limit the quality of the conversation. That’s why increasing the visibility of women at forums matters. Join Dr Darren Saunders (Eureka Prize Winner, Science Communicator and prolific tweeter), Prof Jane Latimer (MCC Panel Pledge, University of Sydney; Elizabeth Broderick & Co) and others, to share experiences of tools that help raise the visibility of women, with a particular focus on conferences and events.

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Inclusive and respectful workplaces: attracting and retaining our STEM Workforce
Various

Women only make up 16% of Australia’s STEM-skilled workforce, but attracting and retaining women in the STEM workforce is critical to our national prosperity and to meet our future skills needs. In this workshop the Australian Research Council will help you understand the current STEM workforce with a focus on the research sector, and learn about best practice efforts to address workforce capability in STEM organisations.
Further, Professor Lisa Kewley will demonstrate a new model that has been developed to assist STEM organisations to determine the cause of persistent gender imbalance, develop ways to fix it and identify how long it will take to address. This model can be tailored to suit the unique context of your organsiation.

EVALUATION

Implementing actions: the role of equity practitioners and project officers
Innovative Research Universities (IRU)

Already we are seeing instances of Actions becoming ‘everyone’s business and no-one’s business’. As practitioners responsible for monitoring (and managing) implementation, how can we best navigate complex governance structures and systems to ensure actions are embedded in an effective and sustainable way? At this workshop, equity practitioners explore the strengths of the Athena SWAN process to ensure synergies with existing work, roles and competencies.
Facilitated by members of the IRU (Innovative Research Universities) Network, this workshop will invite, share and discuss ideas to highlight Action Plan implementation challenges and tools for effective and sustainable implementation. Using collective experiences and resources to contextualise approaches for varied settings, participants will explore five themes: ‘mission fatigue’, ‘managing up for good and effective governance’, ‘accountable vs responsible’, ‘collaboration’ and ‘monitoring and evaluation’. Discussions aim to agree a set of key practices/approaches, tips and strategies to be published and shared with delegates.

EVALUATION

Achieving gender equity targets through systemic change
SAGE NSW Regional Network

This workshop is an experience-driven, collaborative discussion that aims to identify key strategies for facilitating the effective implementation of gender equity targets in STEMM, with particular focus on the relationship between central goals and local actions. The workshop asks its participants to consider: how might SAGE and other national bodies support the sector-wide drive to achieve gender equity targets for STEMM?
The workshop will outline and build upon findings from the “Strategies for Success” Symposium held at UTS in July 2019 and collaborators from across the NSW Regional Network will share case studies from their respective institutions that review in-practice experiences of setting targets in their local contexts.
Using these intra-institutional examples to establish a model for how local and global contexts can inform and support progress toward achieving targets, workshop attendees will work together to identify potential opportunities for driving sector-wide change, including future collaboration across networks and between higher education institutions and industry.

LEADERSHIP

Exploring Departmental awards for SAGE
SAGE

The Athena SWAN framework comprises two streams of award: Institutional and Departmental. SAGE members have already engaged in the Institutional awards process, and focus is now turning to Departmental awards. Experience from the UK demonstrates that Departmental awards have been a key driver of effective cultural change within organisations. These sub-unit awards are also particularly important to understanding the discipline-specific barriers to gender equity and diversity, and effecting cross-organisational disciplinary level change.
In 2019, SAGE consulted widely with its members on the adaptation to the Australian context of the Athena SWAN Departmental Award approach and guidance. These consultations identified divergent opinions, both for and against adopting Departmental awards.
Guided by SAGE members, this workshop aims to consolidate key suggestions in order to determine the SAGE approach to adopting and adapting Departmental awards. This workshop is informed by SAGE members’ views and input sought via a survey conducted by SAGE.