Balancing the Equation: 20 Years of Driving Equality in STEM

This year marks a significant milestone for Equate Scotland: 20 years of championing equality in STEM. It is a moment not only to celebrate how far we’ve come, but also to look ahead at the work still to be done.

As our Programme Director Dilraj Sokhi Watson reflects, this anniversary is an opportunity to recognise the scale of our collective impact. Over two decades, thousands of women and allies across Scotland have engaged with Equate’s programmes, building confidence, skills, and pathways into STEM careers.

For many participants, the experience has been transformative:

“It’s been a hugely empowering course that I think will influence who I am and who I will grow to be in both my professional and personal life.”
— Career Enhancement Programme participant

Our Journey: Two Decades of Change

Equate Scotland was established to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM. Since then, we have evolved into a national programme funded by the Scottish Government, working across individuals, employers, academia, and policy.

Through training, mentoring, research, and engagement, Equate supports women at every stage of their careers. These programmes create space for growth, reflection, and confidence-building:

“I have always struggled with self doubt and being scared to speak my mind, even if I know what I am saying is correct. The course has taught me it’s okay to take up space and be heard, especially in a male dominated field.”
— Career Enhancement Programme participant

Equate’s work also extends into student engagement and early career development:

“What I enjoyed the most while being a student champion was meeting others across a variety of STEM disciplines. It was very empowering to have that solidarity where you all could talk openly about gender-related professional struggles, and do work to hopefully make real-world change.”
— Student Champion, Edinburgh Napier University

Why Our Work Still Matters

While progress has been made over the past 20 years, challenges remain. Women in STEM still face barriers related to confidence, progression, workplace culture, and structural inequality.

Equate Scotland’s work continues to address these challenges—supporting individuals while also influencing organisations and systems.

Career Clinics provide tailored support at critical moments:

“I was feeling a bit lost professionally, unsure about returning to the industry, the session helped renew my confidence, see my status more pragmatically and gain perspective on future options”

“I have been going through a really horrible time due to work this year. My career clinic with Helen was fantastic. She helped me clear my thinking around what were realistic, manageable next steps. I felt much more optimistic about the future of my career.”

At the organisational level, Equate’s training supports inclusive workplace practices. For example, Skills Development Scotland shared:

“Equate Scotland delivered training to staff involved in developing our apprenticeship frameworks to improve their understanding of gender bias in language. The training highlighted that the choice of language in job adverts or apprenticeship frameworks can impact on the likelihood of women applying. Making small changes to our language is one of the steps that we can take to encourage applications from women to apprenticeships in male-dominated sectors. This learning could be useful in a number of areas and would be particularly useful to employers who wish to review their job adverts to ensure they are inclusive. The training is evidence-based and was delivered by knowledgeable, professional trainers who were able to adapt to the needs of our staff. It was positively received and we are actively using the learning in our work, we would recommend this training to others.”

Building Skills, Confidence and Community

Equate’s programmes combine practical skills development with peer learning and community building.

Participants in WE:Build Retrofitting learning activities highlighted the value of hands-on experience and supportive environments:

“The programme has provided me with both practical experience and an opportunity to network with professionals in a supportive environment. This has improved my confidence in making a career transition to this field.”

“I really liked the experiential learning, with the opportunity to work alongside people from a wide range of backgrounds as part of a team.”

“I find it inspiring to hear from other women’s careers, both from speakers and other people on course, as I am usually in a male dominated work environment.”

Community initiatives such as Friends of Equate also play a vital role:

“i found the interactive session so interesting. because it helps me to learn more from others. we share ideas from different people which gave me an edge to learn from others experience.”

“I find the most valuable is Being in a room with like minded people to get a first dip at networking in a safe space”

Working in Partnership

Partnerships are central to Equate Scotland’s impact. By working with organisations across sectors, we help extend opportunities and reach wider audiences.

Our partner BE-ST reflects on this collaboration:

“we have enjoyed and benefited greatly from partnering with Equate to deliver various green energy programmes for the construction industry. Equate have helped us reach a wider audience of women either entering or interested in the construction industry. The cohorts we’ve delivered training to through equate have been some of the most enthusiastic, inquisitive, and engaged learners we’ve had the pleasure of working with at BE-ST. This speaks volumes to the great work that Equate do in creating inclusive spaces for women in STEM.”