One such programme that has been going on for years is “Bojos per les tecnologies” [Crazy about technologies], a La Salle-URL programme created by the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation to foster scientific talent among young people. The goal of the course is to promote the technological and innovative spirit among 16-18 year olds, allowing them to come into contact with technological advances in the ICT sector. One of the goals of these courses is to foster motivation and vocation for technology and innovation among young students, as well as to help meet the current demand for ICT engineers, while at the same time fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of students.
In collaboration with the Caixa d’Enginyers Foundation, La Salle-URL is also responsible for the “Talent i noves tecnologies” programme [Talent and new technologies], which promotes the technological and innovative spirit among students, as well as offering them an insight into the work of an engineer in sectors that will see the greatest growth in coming years where demand is highest throughout Europe.
When it comes to STEAM subjects, there is obviously still a large deficit in these vocations among women. La Salle-URL believes in female talent and is strongly committed to promoting women engineers with a scholarship dedicated to talented women interested in engineering and technology with a good academic record. This scholarship offers a significant discount on the tuition fees for any of La Salle’s ICT Engineering Degrees.
If we want girls to share a passion for these fields, we have to start young. Many activities are aimed at teenage girls, aged 16 or over, when actually the stereotypes we have about boys and girls set in much earlier, around the age of 11 to 14, which is why this event focusses on that age group. The statistics are clear: in 2014, 52.5% of people entering university were women, yet just 13% of them studied engineering degrees, and a fifth of female IT students are unsure whether the subject is right for them. This is why in May 2016, La Salle-URL hosted the g4g Day, organised by international NGO Greenlight for Girls and Cisco. This one-day event was aimed at promoting a passion for science among girls through a range of practical workshops and activities in the STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The first year saw some 150 girls taking part, and in October 2018, the event will be repeated on the same Campus to continue working towards the goal of including more women in these fields.