Johnson & Johnson seeks to inspire female students from Limerick to pursue a career in STEM

JOHNSON & Johnson has launched its Women in Stem programme for the coming academic year in partnership with Lero, - the Limerick-based Research Centre for Software at UL. 

The Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design (WiSTEM2D) undergraduate programme aims to inspire and support more women to pursue a career in STEM. 

First introduced at UL in 2016, the WiSTEM2D programme has been expanded to support more than 300 female students. This year, the programme will also include Munster Technological University for the first time.

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“At Johnson & Johnson, we are firm believers in working with our educational partners to create a talent pipeline for the future,” said Anna Rafferty, Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D University Lead and Director of Strategy, Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland at the National Technology Park, Plassey. 

“We recognise that we have a part to play in ensuring a fairer representation for women in STEM fields. This is why we have developed the WiSTEM2D programme, to build a diverse STEM community that reflects the great diverse aspects of society, by supporting and nurturing women studying in STEM,” added Ms Rafferty. 

Dr Katie Crowley, Funded Investigator in Lero and lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at University of Limerick, said the programme sponsors and supports female STEM2D students to excel in their careers, and encourages them to be role models for their peers.

"We are committed to fostering an open and inclusive STEM culture that mentors and nourishes female leaders of the future,e she commented at the launch.

Jenna Bromell, a participant of the 2016 WiSTEM2D programme at UL is now working as a Process Engineer at Johnson & Johnson Vision in Limerick, said: “The support, connections, and inspiration that the WiSTEM2D programme provided during my time in college really empowered me to pursue a career in engineering. It gave me a real taste of what I could do as a woman in STEM and set strong foundations for me to build my career on”.

Application for the programme is open to female students of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design subjects entering their second, third, or fourth year of studies 2022/2023 within University of Limerick.

Eligible students have until October 14 to submit their application.