ExxonMobil Encourages Girls to Consider Engineering Fields

ExxonMobil and its employees said they will welcome more than 1,000 female students around the country as participants in its 15th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. The program encourages middle-school girls to learn more about engineering and the career options available in this field.

“ExxonMobil participates in the Introduce a Girl to Engineering program to raise awareness of science, technology, engineering and math subjects, and to motivate young women to consider future careers in these fields,” said Sara Ortwein, president of ExxonMobil affiliate XTO Energy, and a civil engineer. “We are dedicated to identifying the next generation of engineering talent.”

Through hands-on, interactive experiments, ExxonMobil and XTO Energy employees will lead a series of problem-solving activities. Students will learn how creativity and ingenuity can be used in the classroom, and how knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects can lead to rewarding engineering careers. More than 14,000 students have participated in the program since its inception in 2003.

According to the National Science Foundation while women represent almost 50 percent of the workforce, they hold less than 20 percent of engineering jobs. Providing skills training and encouragement to young women when they are making career decisions is one way to help combat the gender gap that currently exists in this critical profession.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is one of many efforts by ExxonMobil dedicated to attracting more young people, and particularly girls and underrepresented minorities, to STEM careers. It is being conducted in association with Girl Day, DiscoverE’s worldwide campaign to introduce girls to engineering.