Enhancing Diversity, Skills Development, and Interest in STEM Education through Ontario Tech's Engineering Outreach Programs

Ontario Tech University’s Engineering Outreach programs annually involve over 30,000 young individuals in STEM workshops and events, targeting young women and other groups historically underrepresented in STEM to encourage their pursuit of Engineering careers. This paper examines the effectiveness of these efforts and evaluates our outreach programs' impact on increasing participation and opportunities for youth underrepresented in STEM fields. While long-term outcomes like career influence are challenging to measure, our initial findings indicate a heightened interest and improved access for underrepresented groups in STEM education. These early outcomes suggest a considerable shift in perceptions regarding Engineering as an appealing and viable career path for underserved populations, reinforcing our belief in the substantial positive influence of our outreach programming and initiatives. The culmination of these findings provides compelling evidence to support the notion that Engineering Outreach effectively shapes positive perceptions and fosters interest in STEM education, particularly among demographics traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.