Park Place Technologies Salutes Global Women in STEM Programs

CLEVELAND, OH – March 2, 2021 — With International Women’s Day approaching on March 8, Park Place Technologies is continuing its commitment to global STEM initiatives worldwide through its Women in STEM (WINS) program. For the third consecutive year Park Place is supporting the IWISH STEM Event (which will be virtual this year) on Thursday March 4 at 10:30am ET. In addition, for the first time, Park Place is expanding its summer externship program globally, to six college students from around the world.

Women make up half of the overall workforce but just 28% of STEM positions, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. IWISH, an award-winning, volunteer led, community-based social enterprise, is committed to showcasing the power of science, technology, engineering and math to female school students aged 13 to 17. Since 2015, almost 25,000 girls have participated in the program. Park Place has helped attract more than 12,000 global participants to this year’s 90-minute, virtual IWISH event, with registrations from as far afield as Kenya, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Peru.

The virtual event will feature inspirational women at the top of their field in STEM plus interactive polls, competitions, and more. With female role models from companies including Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Arup, Dell, VMWare and Deloitte it promises to be an engaging and inspiring event for the girls. This year’s Trailblazer Speaker is Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland. She is a founding member of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Park Place WINS Externship
In addition to the IWISH Event, Park Place has also opened applications for its 2021 Women in STEM externship. The externship, which will be virtual this year, provides college-aged women the opportunity to meet mentors in STEM and receive training and hands-on experience. Participants will build long-term relationships to help with career development and gain experience that will set them apart as they enter the workforce.

In previous years, the program awarded two students from Ireland an externship at Park Place’s Cleveland headquarters. This year, for this first time, Park Place will host six virtual interns from around the world — two from Cleveland, in partnership with John Carroll University, two from Singapore, in partnership with the National University of Singapore, and two from Cork, in partnership with University College Cork.

To be eligible for the externship, students must be over 18 years of age and a rising junior or senior in college actively pursuing a STEM related degree.
Interested students can apply for the externship at https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/careers/job-openings/?p=job%2FoJKNefwe. Applications are currently being accepted through March 25. The winners will be announced in April.

“As we consider the future of the technology industry in the short and, especially longer, term, there is undoubtedly an appetite and acute awareness within the industry about the need to encourage more women into STEM,” said Chris Adams, President and CEO, Park Place Technologies. “Businesses around the world play a key role in supporting and accelerating this adoption by ensuring that a career in STEM is appealing for women. At Park Place we’re proud to support this movement through our programs and partnerships with organizations like IWish.”

“We’re very excited about the global response for our virtual event both from attendees and our sponsors and partners,” said Caroline O’Driscoll, Founder, IWISH. “The lack of women in STEM is a global issue, and by mobilizing the power of the international community, we can truly make a difference. We are delighted with the support of Park Place Technologies to help us reach an international audience. The world has changed so much over the past year, but it has not dampened our ambition to support young girls to be agents of change that our world so badly needs right now.”

To learn more about the externship program visit https://parkplacetech.wistia.com/medias/exlgmp3d70