“Jobs for the Girls!” – Girls’ Careers Fair at The Maynard School

02 Oct 2013

Girls aged 12 – 15 years from secondary schools across Exeter and East Devon visited the Maynard School recently for a Careers Fair with a difference.

Jobs for the Girls  brought together inspirational women with diverse careers to encourage girls to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields such as science, technology and engineering, or in unusual fields that they may not have considered before.

Speakers included Rosie Saffell, a Consultant at Deloitte, Kirsty Curnow Bayley, an Architect, Kathryn Aalto, a Garden Designer, Carolyn Deeming, a Geneticist, Jess Farmer, a Photographer, Jules Florey, a Delivery Leader at South West Water, Emma Webber, a Police Chief Superintendent, Kiki Soteri, an Optometrist, Karla-Luise Herpoldt, a Physicist, Julie Dunn, a Surgeon and Soraya Goggin, a Fashion Designer.

After hearing about the rich and varied experiences of these professional women, the girls attended a careers fair, where they had the opportunity to meet experts who could guide them through the different options for post-16 education and training. Representatives of leading universities were on hand with advice and information.

The Maynard School created the ‘Jobs for the Girls’ event in 2009 in response to ongoing research which shows that women are still under-represented in many fields of engineering, technology and the physical sciences, and are often lower paid than ‘male’ jobs requiring a similar level of education and skills. The event has been increasing in popularity each year.