Open AccessCARLA, the career launch hub to promote careers in photonics
Author(s) -
Lydia Sanmartí-Vila,
Silvia Tognetti,
Federica A. Beduini,
Sílvia Carrasco
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
jphys photonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2515-7647
DOI - 10.1088/2515-7647/ab95f1
Subject(s) - employability , workforce , photonics , diversity (politics) , promotion (chess) , sustainability , public relations , engineering , business , computer science , political science , sociology , physics , pedagogy , optics , ecology , politics , law , biology
Europe faces a situation in which the photonics industry is growing and needs more well-preparedprofessionals to support its growth and innovation potential. Addressing thispressing need requires engaging all photonics stakeholders to increase the visibility of theoutstanding professional opportunities of photonics and provide the future workforce withtools to increase their employability. CARLA, a new European funded project, aims to create a novel, rigorous and testedinstrument to address this need at the source. It will develop a model for European photonicscareer camp −a reproducible 2-day intense, multi-format event− that 1) obtains coordinatedinput from all stakeholders, 2) encourages STEM university students, PhD students andyoung postdocs to pursue a career in photonics and 3) can be replicated by otherorganisations. CARLA will create a robust, competitive and sustainable career camp that willbe tested on 11 occasions during the 2020–21 period, solidifying a ready-to-replicate campmodel. It will incorporate the dimensions of industry, academia, innovation, entrepreneurship,and employability, putting special attention on empowering diversity, both within the campsand in the future photonics workforce. Sustainability of the model will be ensured through the creation of a virtual careers inphotonics hub that will support the photonics community at large during and beyondCARLA, and develop a comprehensive handbook to facilitate camp replication. With thepromotion of diversity serving as one of the cornerstones in the design and implementation ofCARLA, the project will furthermore translate lessons learned in the camps into an“Empowering Diversity in Photonics” guide applicable to future camps and the photonicscommunity in general.