THE BRITISH Council in the Philippines said it aims to further strengthen its mission on culture, arts, and education in the country through its Women in STEM scholarship for post-graduate degree studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in the United Kingdom.
“Educating, training, and hiring more women in STEM can lead to better scientific and financial outcomes, increasing diversity in the workforce, bringing variety in perspectives and ideas, and giving organizations a competitive edge,” British Council Country Director Lotus Postrado told BusinessWorld through an e-mail.
“This year, Filipinas were eligible to apply for scholarships at Bath University, University of Warwick, and Imperial College London.”
Running in its fourth year, the Women in STEM program is expanding its reach by “providing additional scholarships across ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian) countries and Timor-Leste.”
The program aims to address the low global enrolment of female students in Information and Communications Technology at 3%; natural science, mathematics, and statistics at 5%; and engineering, manufacturing, and construction at 8%.
For its cultural mission, Ms. Postrado said: “The British Council strongly values Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Our work is based on building meaningful, enduring, and respectful relationships across different cultures and this cannot be done without our commitment to EDI.”
Its Connection through Culture grant, which focuses on diversity and inclusion, and climate change themes, is a partnership between British and Filipino artists who create projects that “celebrate diverse cultural expression and knowledge sharing,” she said.
The Council also runs a global LGBTQIA+ film festival, called “Five Films for Freedom.” The films were screened last year at the Great British Festival in Bonifacio Global City.
“Just last March, we partnered with institutions such as the National Teachers College and the University of the Philippines Cebu, bringing films and raising conversations on the topic through in-person screenings,” Ms. Postrado said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana