LAFAYETTE — In February, General Electric launched a campaign to promote women in STEM fields. According to GE, among technology and engineer giants, women often make up less than a quarter of the workforce in technology-based and leadership positions.
This statistic is unacceptable to GE.
The campaign, dubbed Balance the Equation, seeks to have 20,000 women occupying STEM roles at GE by 2020, a 50:50 ratio with men and women.
Currently there are around 15,000 women in STEM roles at GE. Increasing women by 25 percent company-wide in three years is no small feat, said Jamie Braaten, the brand experiences leader for GE.
“About 5,000 in three years, that’s a big needle to move,” she said.
The first step in achieving this goal is recruiting, Braaten added, which is why GE is touring college campuses around the country, inviting STEM students to have casual conversations with women who work at GE and providing a relaxed environment to have conversations about their career paths.
The first stop on the tour? Purdue University.
“Purdue is a top recruiting ground for us,” Braaten said.