Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi wants more young women in the energy workforce by encouraging them to take courses in the fields of science, technology and engineering.

Cusi made the call during the 12th ENEReady event for 160 Grade 10 students in Tanauan City High School in Batangas. This year’s team, “Breaking Gender Stereotyping in the Energy Workforce,” wants to inspire students to enroll in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Track in Grade 11.

The Department of Energy (DoE), through its Gender and Development advocacy, is also focusing on women to harness their potential as they constitute half of the Philippine population.

Students were given insights on career opportunities in the energy industry by linking them with the different bureau functions of the agency. At the same time, they were introduced to the concept of energy resiliency.

To emphasize on the call for more women in the energy fields, the event invited lady speakers from the DoE Renewable Energy Management Bureau and Energy Resource Development Bureau who shared their work experiences, as well as the benefits that they derive from their respective vocations in the energy department. They emphasized that among the adaptive capacity indicators of a country is the number of engineering graduates per year, as a percentage of the total population. For the Philippines, this stood at a meager 0.07% in 2016.

The school’s principal Lilibeth L. Cabrera expressed her appreciation to the DoE for presenting a wide array of technical disciplines in the energy sector, as well as the various opportunities in energy industry. She said that before the ENEReady Program, their career counseling was limited to the more common jobs available in the market, such as nursing, medicine, accounting, and information technology.

The Batangas event was held in collaboration with the Junior Chamber International’s (formerly the Philippine Jaycees, Inc.) Tanauan Mabini Chapter, through its president, Anna Marie Quarer and Engr. Edison Subala.

DoE-Consumer Welfare and Promotion Office headed by Division Chief Helen B. Arias spearheaded the ENEReady Program. Since its inception in 2016, the program already inspired more than 2,000 students to take up engineering and science courses.