Amid growing concerns women are at risk of falling behind in their careers owing to lower AI and STEM adoption, Strathcona Girls Grammar has launched a pioneering new tech program and AI and STEM lab designed to put girls at the forefront of emerging technology.
According to research by jobsite, Indeed, 81 per cent of men report using AI tools at work compared with just 70 per cent of women—a difference of 11 percentage points which is considerable. The gender gap has long been pronounced in STEM, with women accounting for less than 16 per cent of the engineering workforce and just 28 per cent of IT roles. Studies also show that girls’ interest in STEM often wanes during the middle years of schooling—unless it is deliberately fostered through exposure, encouragement and confidence-building opportunities.
Strathcona’s new CORAL Lab will directly address this gap by providing applied experiences for girls from year 7-12 to learn and practice advanced AI skills, experiment with different cutting-edge technologies, and solve real world problems.
In the Lab, students will participate in projects ranging from coding and robotics, to AI-driven game design, and student-led app development. Senior students will engage in critical analysis of AI outputs, building judgment and ethical reasoning alongside technical skills.
Co-curricular opportunities in the space will include Robotics and Engineering Clubs (including Spheros, micro:bit, and LEGO Mindstorms), AI Bootcamps and Hackathons, driver simulators, and a VR exploration space. The Lab will also support entry into national and global innovation events such as e-sports competitions and the ‘Ferrari AI Challenge – Powered by HP with Intel’.
As part of the program, Strathcona has collaborated with leading industry and tech organisations—including Alyve Technologies and CompNow to deliver technologies to support its students’ growth in Digital Literacy and AI fluency across the school community.
Strathcona has already embedded AI tools, into classroom learning, with students actively using these technologies to enhance everything from brainstorming in English to problem-solving in Chemistry and modelling in Mathematics.
The Lab builds on Strathcona’s formal AI policy, which sets clear expectations for authorship, disclosure, and responsible use, while giving students space to experiment, explore and apply AI to real challenges. This hands-on, immersive approach ensures students are not just passive users of technology, but active innovators ready to tackle the complex problems of tomorrow.
Teachers have received AI training on tools like Microsoft Copilot, while parents and the community will be invited to hands-on workshops that bring AI to life and show its real-world possibilities.
Lorna Beegan, Strathcona Girls Grammar Principal, said while the tech sector is moving fast, women remain underrepresented in STEM and leadership roles.
“AI gives us a real opportunity to equip our girls with the skills, confidence and experience they need to lead in technology and shape the future,” Beegan said. “While many schools are still grappling with how to teach AI, we are embedding it directly into the classroom.”
Beegan said the CORAL Lab gives the school’s students the chance to lead in STEM and use AI responsibly, critically, and with impact.
“We are arming young women with the digital fluency, creative confidence, and ethical frameworks needed to thrive in an AI and tech driven world.”
Kara Baxter, Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning, said the school’s CORAL Lab represents “a bold step forward” in reimagining how students engage with learning in a rapidly changing world.
“In this hub, students will not only gain technical skills in areas such as coding, robotics, and digital design, but also develop the critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities that will prepare them for future study and work,” Baxter said.
“It will be a space where girls are encouraged to explore, question, and create—where their voices and ideas shape the technologies of tomorrow.”