STEMNET
Inspiring the the future
How are engineering employers engaging with schools to develop the next generation of skilled workers? Kirsten Bodley, Chief Executive of STEMNET, outlines what has been achieved over ten years of the STEM Ambassador Programme, and shows how the latest STEMNET Award winners can inspire employers, schools and individuals to build on this over the next decade.
Encouraging and enabling young people to see the opportunities within engineering is essential. The Royal Academy of Engineering estimates that engineering contributes £481 billion to the UK economy and employs over 5.4 million people. The skills and innovation demonstrated by our engineers underpin integral aspects of society, from maintaining infrastructure to designing the latest bionic limbs for medical use.
Despite the highly fertile job market for those with the right aptitude and talents, we are facing a projected skills shortage – it has been predicted that Britain faces a 36,800 shortfall in qualified engineers by 2050. We need to engage with students at key points throughout their education and inspire them with the broad and exciting career opportunities that a career in engineering holds.
This is what STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) was established to do. We are a charity, receiving grant funding from government to raise awareness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) especially among young people, to help ensure that the UK maintains a flow of well motivated, high- quality individuals into STEM jobs.
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We achieve this through working in partnership with government, industry, professional institutions and our UK-wide network of local organisations, skilled in facilitating education and industry links and working with other STEM partners.
Our core programme is the STEM Ambassadors Programme, which has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Programme enables employers to forge connections with local schools to demonstrate how STEM is practised in the world of work, illuminating applications across a vast range of careers.
This link is made through the STEM Ambassadors themselves. These are volunteers who work with schools, teachers and young people to stimulate and inspire their interest in STEM subjects. The majority are professionals working in STEM careers, so can offer valuable support in enhancing and enriching the curriculum, by providing a link to the world of work.
We co-ordinate the STEM Ambassador Programme on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The programme includes 25,000 inspiring volunteer STEM role models and is supported by over 3000 employers from every part of the UK, who encourage their staff to become STEM Ambassadors often as part of their outreach and CSR activities.
Many of the STEM Ambassadors have truly inspirational stories to tell, having themselves come from very challenging backgrounds. They are passionate about going into schools and colleges and showing young people that pursuing STEM
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