Aerospace Xelerated Launches Women in STEM Mentorship Programme
Applications are now open for a 12-month global mentorship programme for women and girls wanting to pursue a STEM career. The deadline to apply is December 10, 2023
Despite efforts to tackle gender inequality in STEM, girls and women continue to be excluded from participating fully in the field. Gender gaps in education pathways persist, limiting access, preparation, and career opportunities within the scientific community.
The current situation has a significant impact on the global economy — according to the UN, over the past decade, women’s exclusion from the digital sphere alone has shaved $1 trillion off the GDP of low- and middle-income countries.
For science to advance, we need diversity of thought, gender, and background. For this reason, Aerospace Xelerated launched the AX Women in STEM Mentorship Programme, a 12-month global mentorship programme for women and girls seeking to pursue a career in STEM, with a particular focus on aerospace and aviation.
One of the AX Women in STEM Mentorship Programme’s main goals is to address the industry disparity by offering mentorship opportunities to women exploring or pursuing a STEM career. We strongly advocate for closing the existing gender gap and hope this mentorship programme will be another stepping stone in the right direction.
The AX Women in STEM Mentorship Programme is open to women currently working in STEM or interested in pursuing a career in STEM, including founders, entrepreneurs, young professionals, students, freelancers, and ambitious women who want to break into the field and build up their network.
Aerospace Xelerated will match successful applicants for the programme with an experienced mentor who will work with them to build confidence and help them to define better and pursue their STEM career goals. The AX Women in STEM Mentorship Programme is facilitated by the Aerospace Xelerated Accelerator Programme, which provides investment, mentorship, and support for startups and SMEs developing tech solutions for the aerospace industry and beyond.
Previous mentors from the Aerospace Xelerated programme have included Infinite Branches Founder and CEO & International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) board member Shelley A. Svoren, Rachna Sharma Reiter, First Officer A320, easyJet, and Aiir Innovations co-founders Cassandra Kayleigh Loor and Miriam Huijser.
In honour of pioneering English mathematician and writer Ada Lovelace, applications for the programme opened earlier this month, on Ada Lovelace Day, and will close on December 10th, 2023. To join the AX Women in STEM Mentorship Programme as a mentee, apply here or visit the Aerospace Xelerated website to learn more.
About Aerospace Xelerated
Aerospace Xelerated is a Boeing-led aerospace innovation programme delivered in partnership with diverse industry stakeholders, including the GKN Aerospace, Tawazun Council, Etihad Airways, Rolls-Royce and the UK’s Defense and Security Accelerator. Aerospace Xelerated provides investment, mentorship, and support for startups and SMEs developing scalable and sustainable tech solutions for the aerospace industry and beyond.
For the last four years, Aerospace Xelerated has provided mentorship, investment, and support for 40 startups from 14 countries around the globe. To date, AX-supported companies have raised over $200M in additional funding — beyond Boeing’s initial £100,000 equity investment into each and created 750+ new, high-skilled jobs internationally.
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