GIRLS from local secondary school have been inspired to kickstart a career in farming and gardening, which are currently male dominated industries.


More than 100 school pupils from Auchinleck, Doon and Cumnock Academies met women already working in these jobs and gained practical experience of the rural jobs. 
Cumnock Chronicle:
The Women In Wellies event addressed the gender imbalance in the field, and wanted to encourage more female students into the industry.


The event was held in response to the Scottish Government’s STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland, published in 2017. 


The strategy details an aspiration for Scotland to be at the forefront of the technological and scientific advancements of the future and a desire to address the lack of participation of women in STEM and rural subjects. 


Gender imbalances can be seen across education, training and work sectors and recent Scottish Government statistics show that 74% of the rural workforce is male, with the STEM workforce also predominantly male.
Cumnock Chronicle:
The Welly event was organised by East Ayrshire Council’s Learning Outdoors Support Team in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House and the Royal Highland Educational Trust.


Arianne Knowles, food, farming and horticulture manager for The Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House, said: “We were delighted to deliver the Women In Wellies event in partnership with East Ayrshire Council and the Royal Highland Educational Trust.

"It’s incredibly important that younger generations are educated on the importance of rural subjects and career paths and so it was great to see so many young females engaging with them during the event.”