College News - AISL 2019 University Course and Major Choices

​A 2019 survey of 1,004 teens, conducted by the research group Engine, found that only 9% of girls between ages of 13 and 17 are interested in careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Junior Achievement USA, 2019, www.juniorachievement.org.
 
Here, at the American International School of Lusaka (AISL), female students have many opportunities through the IB programs to engage with math and science, and to gain interest and confidence in these subjects. This is perhaps reflected in the consistency over the years with which our girls have chosen to study STEM courses at university.
 
Within the fields of STEM, AISL students from the Fall 2019 application cycle are enrolled in Architecture, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental or Natural Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, and Veterinary Sciences programs. 67% of these graduates are female.
 
Looking at other categories of undergraduate study, all of the 2019 Social Sciences undergraduates taking Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, or Social Research and Public Policy programs are women; and women outnumber men in their enrollment in Arts programs by 2:1 (Art and Design, Fashion Design, Media, Filmmaking, and Film and Television).  
 
Conversely, of those AISL alumni attending Business and Economics programs, males represent 69%. There is an even balance of male and female students enrolled in vocational undergraduate degree programs including, Aviation, Hospitality, and Security Studies.
 
Universities understand that it is important to build transferable skills into their programs so, whether an undergraduate is studying Computer Science or Fashion Design, skills are developed such as, analysis, communication, information technology literacy, and networking, etc. Possessing transferable skills is a particularly important feature of career-readiness for this generation of graduates in an increasingly dynamic work-landscape. Highlighted by the World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report (2018) states, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is interacting with other socio-economic and demographic factors to create a perfect storm of business model change in all industries, resulting in major disruptions to labor markets. New categories of jobs will emerge, partly or wholly displacing others. The skill sets required in both old and new occupations will change in most industries and transform how and where people work. It may also affect female and male workers differently and transform the dynamics of the industry gender gap”. www.weforum.org
 
Our recent graduates are well on their way to acquiring content-knowledge and skills specific to their career pathways, but will also continue to build upon the transferable skills developed through the IB Approaches to Learning throughout their university or college years. They will undoubtedly be well-placed to thrive in the 21st Century workplace.