• Certificates awarded to 22 female students by MAIRE Foundation President Fabrizio Di Amato and ENEA Director Ilaria Bertini

Rome, Jan. 25, 2024 – The year-long 2023 edition of "Five Steps as an Engineer" education project, organized by MAIRE Foundation and ENEA to train female high school students on the energy, energy transition and engineering knowledge, ended today with a ceremony and a live link with European Parliament.

Certificates for completing the 2023 course were awarded to 22 female students from five schools in Rome and its surrounding area - Aristotle, Farnesina, Montale, Giulio Verne, and Argan - who were taken on a journey of discovery of the world of engineering and energy transition during the course’s 80 hours, for a total of more than 1,500 hours of training. 

MAIRE and MAIRE Foundation President, Fabrizio Di Amato and ENEA National Energy Efficiency Agency Director, Ilaria Bertini attended the ceremony, and outlined the results of the project during a live link with the European Parliament where the event "Women empowerment and entreprise" was underway, led by Vice-President Pina Picierno.

Increasing the presence of women in the energy transition sector is key for MAIRE’s inclusion and growth plans. Research conducted by MAIRE Foundation presented at COP28 in Dubai showed that numbers ranging from 18% (in Italy) to 51% (in India) of the 1700 respondents from 10 countries across 4 continents believe that women's inclusion in developing solutions for the energy transition is important to achieve climate goals and open new job opportunities for women. Currently, only 16% of the total global workforce in the traditional energy sector (according to the IEA) is female, and substantial engagement starting from school years is needed. 

Fabrizio Di Amato, President and Founder of MAIRE and the MAIRE Foundation commented:  "Another milestone was reached this year in the second edition of this project with ENEA. Participation grew by more than four times compared to last year, and our ambition is to continue to grow. The energy transition brings with it great opportunities, and these girls will have extra tools to decide their future, as they will represent the managerial class of the future."