The Government has laid out plans to encourage more young people to pursue careers in STEM and promote STEM careers amongst young females.
Answering two parliamentary written questions, Government Minister, Anne Milton MP, set out a list of commitments the Government has made to help improve the number of young people pursuing a career in the technology sector and the number of women taking up careers in STEM.
The commitments include:
- The introduction of computing as a statutory national curriculum subject at all key stages and the introduction of a new Computer Science GCSE and A level.
- Substantial spending on mathematics, digital and technical education to increase the take-up and better teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools.
- The launch of the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), delivering a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development to improve the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, particularly amongst girls.
- Improving careers advice in schools so that young people are aware of the high quality options available for both technical and academic routes into digital careers and they have access to information about the variety of careers that digital technology pathways have to offer.
- Funding programmes to increase the take-up of maths, such as the Advanced Maths Premium, and physics, through the Stimulating Physics Network, which has a specific strand focusing on increasing the number of girls in physics A level.
- The launch of the Gender Balance in Computing pilot programme this year, which aims to identify practical interventions that schools (at all stages, excluding post-16) can implement to improve girls’ participation in computing.
- Raising awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications offer, through programmes such as STEM ambassadors, with 44 per cent of ambassadors being women.
The full parliamentary written questions can be found below:
Technology: Vocational Guidance
Department for Education
5 July 2019
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage more school leavers to pursue a career in the technology sector.
Anne Milton: We have introduced computing as a statutory national curriculum subject at all 4 key stages and have introduced a new Computer Science GCSE and A level. The content was developed with industry experts to better equip pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to become active creators of digital technology.
As part of the Industrial Strategy, the government has committed substantial spending on mathematics, digital and technical education to increase the take-up and better teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools. For example, in November 2018 we launched the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), backed by £84 million of new funding.
The NCCE is run by a coalition of STEM Learning, the British Computing Society and Raspberry Pi and supported by industry. The NCCE is delivering a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development to improve the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, particularly amongst girls. We expect that this, in turn, will help equip these young people with the knowledge they need to pursue a career in the technology sector.
We are also improving careers advice in schools so that young people are aware of the high quality options available for both technical and academic routes into digital careers and they have access to information about the variety of careers that digital technology pathways have to offer. STEM activities, including employer talks and work visits, are built into school career programmes and the Careers & Enterprise Company funds some opportunities for young people to meet a wide range of STEM employers, which include those from the technology sector.[1]
STEM Subjects: Females
Department for Education
5 July 2019
Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of women taking up careers in STEM.
Anne Milton: In order to increase the number of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries, we are encouraging more girls to take STEM subjects at school, college and university, as well as providing improved careers advice and awareness and working with the STEM sector to champion gender representation.
We announced substantial spending commitments in the Autumn Budget 2017 on maths, digital and technical education. We are funding programmes to increase the take-up of maths, such as the Advanced Maths Premium, and physics, through the Stimulating Physics Network, which has a specific strand focusing on increasing the number of girls in physics A level.
We are supporting better teaching of maths, science and computing in schools, including a new £84 million programme for computing teaching and participation. As part of this investment, we also launched the Gender Balance in Computing pilot programme this year, which aims to identify practical interventions that schools (at all stages, excluding post-16) can implement to improve girls’ participation in computing.
We have committed to improving STEM careers advice in schools in the Careers Strategy, including making sure that STEM encounters, such as with employers and apprenticeships, are built into school career programmes by updating school and college statutory guidance. We are also raising awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications offer, through programmes such as STEM ambassadors. 44% of these ambassadors are women.
Finally, we are taking steps to work with the sector through apprenticeships and using the employer Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network, now employing 70 members, to champion gender representation in industries where improvement is needed.[2]