Wednesday September 5 – Stockholm

Today I met with Anna Ekström, Director-General for The Swedish National Agency for Education in Stockholm.  This meeting provided me the opportunity to learn more about the education system in Sweden and what programs are in place related to gender equality.  In addition, Anna shared her experiences in the various leadership positions that she has held in her career.  Anna shared that nearly 100% of students now attend secondary school and a larger percentage (60%) of that population is women. 

Anna indicated that education has been a key tool in Sweden leading the way in women in leadership positions.  There are also several programs in place aimed to increase the interest in science and engineering fields.  One such program is a several week summer camp offered in partnership between universities and industry at technology colleges.  The camp is designed to increase the interest in technical fields.