Barbie who walked on the scene in 1959, is about to launch a new career. This Barbie will be working with Virgin Atlantic to promote careers for women in the broad spectrum of careers in aviation—not just as a flight attendant, but as flight crewmembers and aerospace engineers. The aim of the program is to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to prepare them for these career paths.
Statistically, no more than 12 percent of women in the UK comprise the engineering workforce. Barbie and Virgin Atlantic want to encourage young women to consider careers in aviation and engineering.
Speaking about the partnership, Dawn Childs, President of the Women’s Engineering Society, said, “This is not just a tragedy for them, but it denies businesses 50 percent of the potential future talent pool at a time when the engineering skills gap is widening and unsustainable. This fabulous initiative will help to normalize seeing women in these vital roles and help them to aim high in their future career aspirations.”
Incidentally, Barbie has had prior experience as both a flight attendant and as a pilot.