Female Enrollment and Persistence in Chemical Engineering at a Caribbean National University and their Employment Success after Graduation

In recent times, there has been a drive to increase the number of engineering graduates in Jamaica as well as to encourage females to pursue professions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With universities outputting approximately 200 graduates in engineering disciplines annually, the graduates are forced to compete for placement in the island's relatively small manufacturing and processing industries. It is therefore imperative that employment prospects for female STEM graduates be elucidated to better devise strategies to promote and increase the number of females enrolled in STEM degree programs. This study investigates female enrollment and persistence in the chemical engineering (ChE) program at the University of Technology, Jamaica. The method employs a longitudinal cohort analysis to examine gender differences in enrollment, persistence to graduation, and the class of award obtained at graduation. The research focuses on 12 ChE cohorts from 2004 to 2015. The employment profile of female graduates is also assessed. Findings show that although females represent 41% of enrolled students in semester 1, they are more likely to complete their degree in 4 years, obtain better award quality, and less likely to withdraw from the program. Most female graduates receive employment within the first year after graduation with 59.4% in STEM-related occupations and 19% in unrelated fields. This work contributes to the literature on engineering education in the Caribbean and it is the first of its kind to be done for the local university.