SOCIAL PHOTOS: Women in STEM gather at Claremont Showgrounds for Value Creators Connect Forum

Women with a passion for all facets of STEM gathered at the Royal Agricultural Society of WA’s councillor lounge on Friday, June 17, for a special sundowner to upskill and celebrate women in the male-dominated industry. The invite-only event was hosted by Value Creators founders Maree Gooch and Anne Maree O’Callaghan, who run the people and business transformation company, and was tailored at graduates of the Value Creators’ Women’s STEM JumpStart program. They were also invited by mentors and industry guests to bolster the networking opportunities. Targeted at women aged between 18 and 35, the three month program has been marketed as a “grassroots capacity-building program” for young rural, regional and remote women. More than 60 people have taken part in the program so far. It aims to help upskill and jump-start training, careers or new ventures in STEM with four key elements — a bootcamp masterclass series, group mentoring, one-on-one mentoring, and an annual connector forum. The next renditions of the two-day bootcamp element of the course will be held in Geraldton on September 12 and 13, and Perth on November 2 and 3, in partnership with the Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network. Each space in the program is valued at more than $5000 and funded by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women. The organisation is now advertising its eight week Farm Business Resilience Program valued at $10,000 per participant and running as two, two day blocks plus business mentoring in Carnarvon, Perth and Peel from June to August. The course is designed to shape farm business plans, build resilience, help farmers meet and exceed future challenges, and turn risks into opportunities.