In a series of Written Parliamentary Questions and Answers, the Government has outlined actions it is taking to encourage more students to take up STEM subjects. These policies include:
- increasing investment in maths and digital subjects within schools, including a new post-16 maths premium;
- a new £84 million programme to improve the teaching of computing; and,
- increasing efforts from the university sector to encourage more disadvantaged students to enter Higher Education.
Progress has been made in recent years with regards to the number of female’s studying STEM and the number of students from disadvantaged background in full time Higher Education.
- In 2018, 18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds were proportionally 52% more likely to enter full-time Higher Education than in 2009.
- Over the academic years 2013-14 to 2017-18, the number of female entrants to science subjects in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased by 10% from 218,375 to 240,285.
The full Parliamentary Questions and Answers can be found below:
STEM Subjects: Females
Department for Education
3 September 2019
Andrew Percy (Con): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many women have started courses in STEM subjects at university in each of the last five years.
Joseph Johnson (Minister of State): The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education in the UK. Statistics broken down by subject area and sex are available in Figure 14 of the Statistical Bulletin published in January 2019, which can be found at the following link:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/17-01-2019/sb252-higher-education-studentstatistics/subjects.
Over the academic years 2013-14 to 2017-18, the number of female entrants to science subjects in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased by 10% from 218,375 to 240,285. The number of male entrants to science subjects in UK HEIs has increased by 4% from 196,960 to 204,065.
Notes
- Counts are on the basis of full-person-equivalents. Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between the subjects that make up their course.
- Science subjects are defined by HESA as subject groups A to K under the JACS3 classification: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/jacs/jacs3-detailed.
- Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.[1]
STEM Subjects: Higher Education
Department for Education
3 September 2019
Andrew Percy (Con): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more working class young people to take up STEM subjects at university.
Joseph Johnson (Minister of State): To maintain a dynamic and growing economy, the government is committed to tackling science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills shortages. The department is encouraging more students into STEM education and training, at all stages, from primary school to higher education (HE).
To support more students to take STEM subjects at university, the government has increased investment in maths and digital subjects within schools, including a new post-16 maths premium and a new £84 million programme to improve the teaching of computing. Both of these initiatives aim to increase the number of young people taking these subjects, from all backgrounds.
This school-level investment programme is complemented by increasing efforts from the university sector to encourage more disadvantaged students to enter HE. The Office for Students (as the regulator for HE in England) has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to access and participation in HE. In 2018, 18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds were proportionally 52% more likely to enter full-time HE than in 2009.[2]