An Ottawa builder and its sister company have launched a new financial award aimed at encouraging young women to pursue careers in architecture, business and engineering.
Ottawa construction company Neoteric Developments and ND Management are teaming up to create the bursary.
Neoteric founder Or Bielak said he felt it was important to do something symbolic for his eight-year-old daughter, Sophia. A few years from now, he says, he would like his daughter to discover that there is no glass ceiling for her in STEM and construction-related fields, where women have traditionally been underrepresented.
Bielak said he hopes the new bursaries will encourage other companies in the industry to follow suit.
“We want people to pay it forward,” he said.
Marco Manconi, vice-president of ND Management, said companies benefit from a wide range of perspectives in their workforces.
“On all levels of management and organization on projects, the larger and more complex they become … we need a diverse group of individuals at that leadership table,” he said.
Young women who plan to pursue engineering, architecture or business at a Canadian college or university after graduating from St. Mark High School, Glebe Collegiate or Lisgar Collegiate are eligible for the award. One student from each school will receive a $500 bursary.
Applications will open in April. For more information, visit here.
