More than 200 middle school girl students from Houston will be greeted as "New Hires" by ExxonMobil facilities on Feb. 14, the energy giant said in a press release on Monday.
Nationwide, the world leading energy company will welcome about 3,000 middle school girls to visit 14 ExxonMobil facilities and get a firsthand experience as an engineer next week, Xinhua reported.
The event, according to the company, is part of the company's participation in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and National Engineers Week, which falls between Feb. 16 and 20 this year.
Both activities are rewarding to middle school girls as ExxonMobil employees seek to persuade them that engineering is " cool" and opens doors of opportunity to them if they choose it as a career.
"The girls who take part in these activities will experience the fun and excitement of engineering and also see successful women in high-profile jobs," said Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corporation, adding that "it's one thing to dream about the future and it's even more compelling to actually see and meet some of the brightest engineering minds in the world who are creating it."
A panel of four highly successful female engineers, including meteorologist Casey Curry, NASA engineer Lisa Spence, and scientists from ExxonMobil, will take part in a discussion with the girls in ExxonMobil facilities in Houston.
Statistics released by U.S. Department of Labor indicate that the growing demand for qualified engineers will soon reach a critical level and about 80 percent of new jobs created in the next 10 years will require science, technology, engineering or math skills.
However, predictions show that women make up 46 percent of the workforce but hold just 26 percent of the country's technical jobs in the same period.