Program

Creating Pathways for Women in STEM

To help more young women move from STEM education into careers, the STEM ConnectHER program links students and early-career women across Asia with mentoring, networks, and workplace opportunities.

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are poised for digital growth, but unlocking their full potential depends on ensuring that underserved communities can access the skills, networks, and opportunities needed to succeed.

The STEM ConnectHER initiative addresses the persistent underrepresentation of women in STEM by providing mentorship, industry exposure, professional networks, and career development opportunities across Malaysia, Singapore, India, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea.

Impact

Supported more than 2,800 STEM students and early-career women

Provided mentoring, networking, professional development, and industry engagement opportunities.

Built a regional STEM community across 6 countries

Connecting students, mentors, employers, universities, and industry leaders.

Established an AI-enabled mentoring platform with more than 800 registered members

The platform includes more than 100 mentors and nearly 700 students.

Shared and hosted 100+ virtual and in-person opportunities

Events have included industry speaker series, workplace visits, networking forums, internship and career engagement activities.

Mobilized leading corporate partners

Strengthening STEM talent pipelines and expand opportunities for young women across Asia and the Pacific.

APPROACH

Implemented through the TAF-led Future Skills Alliance, STEM ConnectHER brings together leading global companies, universities, and industry partners to create pathways for young women in STEM. The program combines mentoring, networking, workplace exposure, career readiness training, and digital learning opportunities through a regional platform that enables cross-border engagement. Since 2021, corporate partners including Microsoft, Visa, Boeing, The Estée Lauder Companies, Cisco, Amazon Web Services, Micron, VMware, and Cognizant have contributed mentors, expertise, and industry insights, helping bridge the gap between education and employment.

STEM ConnectHER Speaker Series

The STEM ConnectHER Speaker Series is a series of monthly webinars featuring industry experts and thought leaders to support women in STEM.

Watch Video Here

Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar: Civil Society Organization and Community Scoping Study

Commercial Navigation on the Upper Mekong: Growing or Slowing for Thailand? (CS)

Getting Detached: How Coal-to-Solar Is Moving Beyond Mongolia's Gers

Asia’s scam centre problem is moving on, not shutting down

Creating Pathways for Women in STEM

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are poised for digital growth, but unlocking their full potential depends on ensuring that underserved communities can access the skills, networks, and opportunities needed to succeed.

Impact

STEM ConnectHER Speaker Series

Read More

The Asia Foundation’s Future Skills Alliance Launches Phase Two of STEM ConnectHER, Paving the Way for Women in STEM

Asia Foundation Launches STEM ConnectHER: A Pan-Regional Network-of-Networks to Support Early-in-Career Women in STEM

Asia Foundation Research Highlights Power of Women-in-STEM Networks in Asia

Boosting Women’s STEM Leadership in the Asia-Pacific