A special feature in The Australian Financial Review today highlighted the important work being done in Western Sydney including our very own STEM programs for high school girls and executive women.

Women from Sydney’s west have gathered at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium for an International Women’s Day summit, discussing postcode prejudice, carer responsibilities, higher education access and other key issues.

Western Sydney Women Founder & CEO, Amanda Rose, spoke on Mornings with Sarah MacDonald on ABC Radio Sydney about what women in western Sydney think about politics ahead of the upcoming state election.

Western Sydney Women founder Amanda Rose says STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), aviation, trades and construction are lucrative sectors women are “eminently qualified” for.

“It doesn’t mean you have to be on the tools – although you could be, if that’s what you’re interested in,” she says.

Jobs and finances were at the top of the list for the majority of the 1000+ female residents of western Sydney who participated in the survey with 34% of respondents prioritising pay equity and 24% prioritising cost-of-living as their biggest concerns. 42% of women said workplaces can help them achieve their career goals by increasing their salary while 21% said they would most appreciate more flexible work arrangements.

The Future of Women in Western Sydney summit is advocacy group Western Sydney Women’s latest initiative to support women by engaging government, business, and community leaders to give women a seat at the table where decisions are made.

This year marks the fourth annual Western Sydney Women Awards. A uniquely accessible awards program, it represents women dedicated to what they do in business, as role models, and as pillars of their communities in Western Sydney.

With only 12 percent of women making up its workforce, it’s no secret that the construction industry is a boy’s club. The real story is that despite their best efforts, neither government nor industry can shift the stubbornly entrenched gender ratio.

The federal budget is off to a good start when it comes to access to training/skills for girls and women however they need to be practical in the rollout or they'll fail to engage and retain girls/women in trades. Our Founding Director, Amanda Rose, shared her ideas and solutions with News Ltd based on a decade of experience working with girls and women in this space.

Proving the future of Penrith is female, five outstanding women of the Nepean region are doing their postcode proud, being selected as finalists in the Western Sydney Women Awards across categories spanning business, volunteering and education.

As part of National Science Week our work has been featured on the Office for Women's list of 10 organisations addressing employment barriers and challenging gender stereotypes in STEM.

Amanda Rose, the founder of Western Sydney Women and The Future is Bright, spoke on 2ser 107.3 about why it’s important to create pathways for women in STEM careers.

By 2030, the most sought-after jobs will be in technology, engineering and manufacturing — but Australia’s lack of investment in science and innovation has revealed a troubling trajectory for its future workforce.

To build a strong culture of science and innovation, it is essential to put STEM front and centre with students.

Higher female participation in the labour force is good for women, good for families and for the economy. We want to connect these vulnerable women to give them the right kind of support and get them well on their way to achieving the job of their dreams.

It is important to understand the importance of accessible and affordable childcare when it comes to a woman's financial security.

Western Sydney Women Founder, Amanda Rose, spoke with the media about the impacts of the NSW Govt's announcement of investing $5b into the childcare sector to facilitate women's workforce participation.

In a field where there is a constant demand for highly skilled professionals, having women comprise 26% of air traffic controllers, 18% of flight dispatchers and 9% of aerospace engineers isn’t good enough. And for women, a career in aviation imparts too many valuable and highly transferrable skills and experiences opportunities to pass up out of hand.

Entering the trades industry can be daunting for some women, but in early May, 10 women from Western Sydney took their first steps towards a potential new career in a trade.

The women completed the Western Sydney Women Licence to Build program, a Connecting Women to Trades initiative by the NSW Department of Education.

Programs targeting high school-aged girls who hope to pursue STEM-based careers will soon launch in Australia.

Western Sydney Women and Mentoring Women will be rolling out the Women in Aviation, The Future is Bright and Ladies Who Lead initiatives nationwide to raise awareness of and support entry into aviation careers.

Women’s advocacy group Western Sydney Women has received funding under the federal government’s women’s leadership and development program to help them launch two new programs encouraging women’s careers in STEM.

Western Sydney Women Founder Amanda Rose says there is an “entire cohort of women” who want to work and could ease the labour shortage.

“We have an entire cohort of women 45 plus that might need some up-skilling or encouragement but they’re willing and able so let’s bring them in and give them a shot,” she told Sky News Australia.