Through mentoring sessions for female engineering students from various universities, the project aims to strengthen leadership and incorporate more female talent into organizations within the energy sector in Chile, recognizing the value of diversity and plurality in a field that has traditionally had a strong male presence.

Santiago, August 2023.- In Chile, the gender gap in STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a concerning reality. Figures from the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality are conclusive in confirming that 1 out of every 4 enrollments in STEM careers in 2018 were by women, which translates to only 25% of enrollments. In turn, in the area of technology, this figure is further reduced to only 20%. 

In a quest to reverse this trend and promote a significant change in the representation of women in the industry, the Solar Energy Research Center Chile, SERC Chile, with the support of the consulting firm Walk The Talk and the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, is launching the program “WISE: Women Inspiring Solar Engineering” to strengthen the professional competencies of women in the industry.

The project – driven by and led by SERC researchers Ricardo Álvarez and Valeria del Campo – aims to promote female participation in the energy sector and contribute to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goal “Gender Equality,” proposed by the United Nations for 2030. Through this program, SERC Chile expects participants to acquire and develop key competencies for leadership in the sector.

In this regard, Ricardo Álvarez explains that it is essential to open a perspective of gender equity in this ecosystem. “This program not only seeks to increase the quantitative presence of women in organizations within the sector, but also seeks to train and empower them to lead the change toward a more human, sustainable, and just energy in Chile,” clarifies Álvarez, a researcher in the Energy Storage area of SERC Chile and a USM academic.

 WISE, which begins on August 17th, is a mentoring program that will accompany 30 final-year engineering students through 9 sessions, a phase in which the students will share their vision for the future, experience, and knowledge, and participate in talks and training activities fundamental to their professional development. 

All of this is done with the support and guidance of a team of coaches and female leaders from the energy and environment sectors, who are part of the leadership program of the consulting firm Walk The Talk. 

This initiative is based on a solid and effective methodology designed to discover and develop leadership skills in students. A passionate, innovative, and engaging way to learn how to exercise leadership that is never forgotten, it was created specifically to address the limitations of traditional training systems. Consequently, its methodology focuses on producing sustainable changes in students with a view to strengthening the future professional performance of women in organizations within the energy and environmental sectors.

In this regard, SERC researcher Valeria del Campo explains that providing opportunities from an early stage of their professional career allows for a positive influence on the development of job opportunities, along with creating more inclusive and diverse environments in organizations, which also stimulates innovation and creativity by leveraging different perspectives and approaches.

“We are convinced that by empowering women to become leaders in STEM, a path for individual and collective success is established, where women can play influential roles and be agents of change in building a more equitable and prosperous future in these disciplines. Added to this, the inclusion of their voices is fundamental for the advancement of the Government of Chile's agenda and its objectives to achieve gender parity in management positions by 2040.”