LONDON -- BT, Ericsson, O2 and Vodafone have agreed to expand a mentoring scheme launched to encourage schoolgirls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

Women’s networks from each of the four major companies launched a pilot scheme last year based in London to work in partnership with Girls Talk London, an organization which aims to empower women to learn from others in senior roles in business.

The scheme was a big success and resulted in 18 of the girls graduating at a ceremony at Kings College London in 2016. Now all four companies have reiterated their commitment to the scheme in London, with BT launching an expansion in Birmingham.

The expansion of the scheme, known as ‘Step into STEM,’ is being celebrated tonight, Wednesday, 8 March, at an event at the BT Tower on International Women’s Day.

Schools who have students on the program include: King’s Maths School, UCL Academy, Heathcote School, Woodford County High, City Academy Hackney and Highbury Fields School.

Over the past month, there have been 100 applications, which have been reviewed by Girls Talk London who also conducted interviews and an assessment centre with the candidates.

More than 30 school pupils have been selected and matched with a mentor from each of the businesses involved. The girls will receive one session a month with their mentor up until October, as well as a full week of work experience in July. The scheme was initially a pilot, but now all four companies have big ambitions for the programme, and the hope is that it will be rolled out to other locations across the UK through further collaboration.

BT