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Women In Business Co-Curricular Launches

‘Women in Business’ is a phrase we often hear. It advocates for increased participation of women in corporate leadership and entrepreneurial roles.

Today, we see a more equitable distribution of women in these types of positions. However, the statistics are still concerning…

This year, it was reported that just 30% of businesses in Australia are owned by women.

The Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) 2021 dataset also reports that women comprise only 19% of CEOs, 33% of key management positions, 33% of board members, and 18% of board chairs.

It is clearly evident that women are still underrepresented in these areas.

So, why do we, as a College, feel so strongly about seeing our students close this gender gap? 

Hult International Business School’s article sums up three reasons why seeing more women in business is so important: 

  1. A diverse workforce is an innovative workforce
  2. Women excel at the soft skills needed for business leadership
  3. Women represent huge economic power and offer important consumer insight

As educators of young women, we want to ensure that our students are given the tools and opportunities to succeed in leadership roles. As part of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, the College set out to develop a young entrepreneur’s program.

James Rees, Head of Technology and Commerce, feels extremely passionate about giving students the skills needed to succeed in the business world. Naturally, this led to the development and launch of Women In Business, the College’s new co-curricular group.

“My vision for this co-curricular is that it will provide opportunities for students to develop their skills in entrepreneurship,” said James.

“Through this program, students will gain the confidence to take the ideas that they have here in the school, or outside, and make them commercially viable.”, added James. 

In a traditional classroom setting, students often lack the time to explore ideas and concepts that they have been sitting on.

“This co-curricular gives students the chance to engage with their peers, teachers and Santa Maria alumni, who have been through the experience of developing their own business.”, explained James. 

Women in Business comprises of three components:

  1. Hub sessions, where students can build on their ideas or work on external programs that have been provided to them. 
  2. Workshops, where we provide new skills to students that they can learn about and implement in their new projects or ideas they have been developing. 
  3. Presentations from guest speakers, such as alumni, parents, and other community members, who will talk about their entrepreneurial ventures.  

“We hope that this co-curricular will be valuable for students who are interested in business.”, said James. 

“If your daughter is someone who has an entrepreneurial mindset or would even just like to develop a certain skill, I’d recommend she come along”. 

For more information on this co-curricular, check out the video above! 

  • Collaboration, Creativity, Curiosity, Featured, Learning4Life

Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation.  Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world.  Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD.  We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.

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