RECRUITING: Close the Gap

Close the Gap Project – Development Officer – 34 hours

(Fixed Term to 31 March 2014 with indicative funding to 31 March 2015)

Close the Gap works with employers, economic development agencies, and trade unions to develop and implement strategies to close the pay gap between women and men.

The Development Officer will:

• Work with all Close the Gap partners towards achievement of the project objectives as agreed in the Work Plan.
• Work to raise awareness of equal pay issues within specific occupational and industrial sectors, providing advice and guidance to stakeholders within the sectors.
• Build on Close the Gap’s activity with stakeholders in promoting and distributing awareness-raising materials and tools to redress gender inequalities; facilitating training and awareness raising events; and liaising with employers, trade unions, policy makers and others.
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of publications and promotional materials.
• Produce content for the Close the Gap website.

 

The post is fixed term until 31st March 2014 with indicative funding until 31st March 2015, and flexible working options are available in respect of this post. The salary is £29,754 per annum.

 

Further details and an application form can be obtained from STUC,333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow G3 6NG by emailing info@stuc.org.uk

Closing date for receipt of applications: 5 pm Wednesday 30 October

Interviews are likely to take place on Thursday 7 November 2013

 

Close the Gap newsround (33)

This edition for October captures articles related to the gender pay gap and its causes, including pay discrimination and occupational segregation

Ada Lovelace Day

Be inspired on Ada Lovelace Day

Tuesday 15 October is Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. Born in 1815 Ada Lovelace is thought to be the first computer programmer. Finding Ada is a website resource dedicated to encouraging individuals and organisations to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM.

It aims to highlight the plethora of women in all areas of STEM and ensure there is a bank of visible role models to inspire girls and women interested in pursuing a career in science and technology.

In Scotland, there is a strong history of nurturing talent in scientific and technological development and a burgeoning realisation that economic growth requires a critical mass of highly skilled and talented workforce in STEM industries. However, the attrition rate of women remains startlingly high, where over 70% of women with STEM qualifications are not working in STEM compared to 48% of men with the same qualifications.[1] The reasons why women leave the STEM pipeline are well rehearsed and it is often due to a toxic combination of balancing work with caring responsibilities, feeling undervalued in a male-dominated environment or funding models for R&D being too rigid to accommodate maternity leave.

There is a supply issue too, where there are low number of girls and women entering STEM education and training, partly due to the gender stereotyping of women and men's capabilities. In 2012 in Scotland, 87% of those studying engineering and technology at university were men, and yet at the same time engineering is one of the occupational groups which employers are finding difficult to source sustainably.

The estimated cost of gendered occupational segregation to the Scottish economy is approximately £170 million per year.[2]

Employers, employer representative bodies, education and training institutions all have a role to play in recouping this loss to the Scottish economy and ensure that the barriers to women's participation in STEM education, training and the wider workforce are tackled.

Ada Lovelace Day is a celebration of the achievements of women in STEM, and should serve as a reminder of the cost of failing to attract and retain women in these industries.

Be inspired and spread the word about the stories and achievements of women in STEM.

*

Close the Gap is supporting the Women in Renewable Energy Scotland network (WiRES) and has recently been awarded Big Lottery Funding to support a programme of work to develop the capacity of women in the renewable energy sector. To get involved and find out more please contact emartin@stuc.org.uk , WiRES Development Officer.

To find out more about how to support women in STEM, visit the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in SET.

 

 

Close the Gap newsround (32)

This edition for October captures articles related to the gender pay gap and its causes, including pay discrimination and occupational segregation