NAB sets sights on high schoolers for STEM

NAB is ready to commence its first work experience program with high school students this June under an effort to attract fresh interest in working with financial technology.

The bank is seeking to draw in students to areas across cyber security, data analytics, cloud engineering and design under its STEM work experience program.

NAB's head of tech capability and acceleration Jade Warrener told iTnews the bank piloted the program earlier this year with 20 students.

“Following the successful pilot, we’ve now officially launched the STEM work experience for high school students. The first cohort begins on June 26 with 42 students," she said.

Warrener said “confidence and interest in STEM studies develop at a young age”.

She also said there is a "big challenge in attracting more young women” into STEM-based career pathways.

“According to the STEM Equity Monitor report [pdf], girls' confidence in STEM subjects fell as they got older," Warrener said.

"For example, almost 50 percent of girls between 12 and 13 said they were interested in studying engineering, but this dropped to 33 percent by the time they’re 14, and 26 percent by the time they’re 18.

“Our hope is that this work experience program can help students - and young women - better understand what a career in engineering and technology looks like, and hopefully unlock their potential if they were to choose a STEM career in the future.”

Warrener said the STEM work experience program fits together  withother initiatives, including the bank's internship program which has seem “over 5000 applicants apply for our mid-year July 2023” intake.

“Seeing a shift in the number of our students enrolling in IT subjects, we are completing surveys to judge the impact the program has on student selections and whether they feel their choices have changed or are re-evaluating their options based on attending the program," Warrener said.

“We will also be assessing the number of students and particularly females applying for the program.

"As this runs during school holidays, they are trading time off for the experience, which is a clear indication of the importance they are placing in learning more about STEM.”

After the first June cohort, another set of students are due to join in September with “an ambition to bring in 60 students”.  

“We also have plans to expand the program nationally, with Sydney as our next location beginning in 2024," Warrener said.