Supporting STEM access equality.
Wanago, future-proofing Australia's workforce
In 2019, UTS launched the Wanago Program as a social justice initiative to address STEM subject access inequalities in NSW high schools.
According to PWC’s report A Smart Move: Future-proofing Australia’s workforce, STEM skills will be required for 75 per cent of jobs over the next decade. In this rapidly-changing global economy, Australia is finding itself without the skills to keep up. UTS recognises this immediate need to prepare today’s students for the future demands of the nation's workforce. Through the Wanago program, UTS aims to offer STEM subject opportunities for schools with populations that are underrepresented in STEM careers, such as students from low SES areas, and female students.
Australian high schools often don’t have the teaching capabilities or resources to engage students in STEM subjects – or to run these subjects at all. Students are missing out on their first stepping stone to the next generation of jobs.
Wanago addresses the gap in STEM access by providing an accredited teacher and the NSW technology curriculum at the UTS campus to students who are unable to access the STEM HSC subjects at their own school.
Wanago's beginnings
In 2019, the Wanago pilot program launched with 80 students from seven schools.
Since then, Wanago has seen rapid growth in school partnerships and student enrolments. Currently, approximately 40 schools have partnered with Wanago, with over 250 Year 11 and Year 12 students.
Wanago offers the following subjects:
- Engineering Studies
- Software Design and Development
- Information Processes and Technology
- Multimedia Technologies
Underpinned by the University’s ‘Lifetime of Learning’ approach, Wanago connects students, teachers, and their schools to UTS academics, university students, and industry partners to inspire high school students to undertake STEM tertiary study and help shape the future workforce. Students successfully graduating from the Wanago program, are offered direct admission to the Faculty of Engineering and IT undergraduate degrees.
Wanago is a proud supporter of the UTS Athena Swan program, building a pipeline to enable women to access careers in STEM. We are successfully achieving gender equity, with over 60 per cent of Wanago students identifying as female, or non-binary in our current cohort.