New partnerships with STEM equity change agents: MAGIC and DCA

Two significant, long-term partnerships will progress FLEET’s equity goals as well as supporting change in the Australian STEM community.

FLEET was pleased to be a sponsor for this year’s annual MAGIC mentoring workshop, which provides mentoring and skills development for early-career female and gender-diverse researchers in maths and physical science.

FLEET’s three-year partnership with Mentoring and Guidance in Careers (MAGIC) will support the annual, five-day MAGIC workshop at ANU, which is aimed at developing skills and networks for Australian ECRs who identify as female or gender diverse.

FLEET ECRs Dr Iolanda Di Bernardo and Dr Chi Xuan Trang (both from Monash University) attended. FLEET Equity and Diversity Committee Chair Prof Elena Ostrovskaya facilitated a session on career goals and aspirations, and featured on the mock interview panel that helped hone participants’ industry-engagement skills.

To help FLEET become more aware of unconscious bias and other barriers to cultural and gender diversity and inclusion, every FLEET member must attend at least one training workshop or training session in equity, diversity, and inclusion each year.

Members may choose any training and development opportunity of their choice, including face-to-face sessions, webinars, or online modules. FLEET’s new five-year membership of Diversity Council Australia (DCA) introduces a wide toolkit of knowledge programs, research, practical tools and events for our members.

The FLEET website, intranet and newsletter provide links to resources and opportunities available at individual nodes, as well as those provided by DCA.

Partnerships such as these are part of FLEET’s effort to provide career support for ECRs, in particular under-represented women, in FLEET and in the wider Australian science community.