Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to celebrate International Women's Day meeting budding female scientists and engineers at Birmingham youth project

Visit: The couple will chat to girls taking part in the project
AP
Chloe Chaplain8 March 2018

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will mark International Women’s Day visiting a project aimed at inspiring girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.

The young royals will travel to Birmingham to join female secondary school students taking part in a range of activities from speed networking opportunities with local businesses to a panel discussion.

The visit to the project coincides with the international day of celebration for women – designed to shine the spotlight on female achievements around the world.

Meghan - a public advocator of women's rights - spoke out about her passion for the issue during a recent event for the Royal Foundation.

Inspired: Megan spoke about women's issues at a recent forum for the Royal Foundation
Chris Jackson/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Referring to the Times Up and Me Too movements that have taken the media by storm, she said: “Women don’t need to find a voice. They have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen."

Harry and Meghan will begin the trip on Thursday by meeting members of the public before chatting to young women taking part in app-building and touchpads.

The couple will get the chance to speak to the women and girls about their motivations to pursue Stem subjects – which are traditionally male-dominated.

Hosted by social enterprise Stemettes at Millennium Point, the event will also offer information on work experience, apprenticeships, A-level choices, and university degrees in Stem topics.

Couple: Harry and Meghan have visited various organisations around the UK
Getty Images

Later the couple will tour Nechells Wellbeing Centre to join Birmingham's Coach Core apprentices as they take part in a training masterclass.

The Coach Core apprenticeship scheme was designed by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to train people aged 16 - 24 with limited opportunities to become sports coaches and mentors within their communities.

During the year-long apprenticeship, which now operates in 10 cities across the UK, young people learn technical sport skills alongside an inclusive and holistic approach to coaching, with an emphasis on employability and mentoring skills.

Thursday's visit is the latest leg in the regional tours the prince and his bride-to-be are undertaking in the run-up to their May wedding, and follows trips to Edinburgh, Nottingham, Cardiff and Brixton in south London.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Edinburgh - In pictures

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The events are giving Ms Markle a personal education in the issues faced in parts of the UK and nationally, and complement the private visits she is regularly making to organisations as she gets to know the UK charity sector.

Ms Markle is due to become the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation when she marries the prince and the couple will chat to the apprentices about their experiences of the programme, launched in Birmingham in March last year, before joining them in the sports hall as they deliver practice training sessions.

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