Supporting Indigenous girls and young women to stay in school and complete Year 12 is at the heart of a new partnership between BAE Systems Australia and the Stars Foundation.
Founded by Andrea Goddard in 2015, Stars is a national not for profit organisation that offers a holistic program supporting Indigenous girls and young women to attend and remain in school, complete Year 12 and move into full-time work or further study.
As well as financial support during the two year partnership, BAE Systems will also offer work experience, site tours and various immersive technology experiences to engage young Indigenous students to consider a Science Technology Engineering Maths (STEM) career.
BAE Systems says this partnership continues the company's commitment to First Nations employees and the wider community through its reconciliation journey.
“We’re uniquely positioned to raise the awareness of STEM among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities," BAE Systems Chief Executive Officer Ben Hudson said.
“We seek to inspire the next generation; educating and empowering girls has a powerful multiplier effect, benefitting not only the girls, but also their families, communities and future generations.
“Our aim is to provide equitable access to high-quality educational mentoring programs and improve outcomes for students.”
“Stars was established in 2015 to address the gender gap in funding for support programs for Indigenous girls, compared to boys," Stars Foundation Andrea Goddard said.
“Since then Stars students have achieved outstanding outcomes, with more than 90 per cent of senior students completing Year 12 each year and more than 85 per cent of graduates moving successfully into employment, training or tertiary study.”