How to tackle the UK’s urgent STEM skills gap

Advances in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are constantly shaping our future and the world around us. However, a growing STEM skills gap threatens to stall this progress in the UK. According to the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), the UK faces a shortfall of over 173,000 STEM workers. This shortage blocks innovation, hindering the UK’s chances of developing in line with other countries worldwide, and also creates challenges for individual career prospects.In this blog post, we’ll examine the effects of the STEM skills gap on employers and jobseekers and suggest ways that this shortage can be tackled.

The effect of the UK STEM skills gap

The UK STEM skills gap affects technological innovation, individual career opportunities, and the broader economy. Let’s look at the challenges faced by employers struggling to find qualified candidates, and jobseekers in search of fulfilling careers in the STEM fields.

 The impact on employers

Here’s how the UK STEM skills gap has affected employers:

• Scarcity of qualified candidates: Employers grappling with a persistent shortage of qualified STEM candidates face project delays, increased recruitment costs, and missed growth opportunities.
• Stifled innovation: The shortage of qualified STEM workers hampers innovation, disrupts the development of cutting-edge technologies, slows down the research and development process, and reduces competitiveness.
• Economic implications: A robust STEM workforce is essential to drive productivity, attract investment, and maintain global competitiveness. The STEM skills gap therefore directly affects the UK’s economic growth.

 Challenges for jobseekers

While the number of unfilled STEM jobs should be good news for jobseekers in those fields, pursuing a STEM career also presents certain challenges:

• Unequal spread of STEM skills gap: The shortage of STEM skilled workers isn’t equal across all UK industries. The engineering, computer technology, and healthcare and life sciences sectors carry the greatest number of vacancies.
• Continuous learning: STEM fields evolve at breakneck speed. What’s relevant today may be obsolete tomorrow. Jobseekers must recognise the importance of continuous learning. Staying relevant requires proactive upskilling.
• Balancing soft and technical skills: Employers value soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability, just as much as practical ability. STEM jobseekers can’t simply rely on their technical skills to be relevant. They must cultivate a well-rounded skill set.

How to tackle the UK STEM skills shortage

So how can the STEM skills shortage be solved in the UK? Should STEM industries shoulder the responsibility alone, or must help come from other bodies too? Let’s look at four areas that together may solve this skills shortage.

 Education and training

It’s logical to think that solving the skills shortage must start at the very beginning, when future workers first learn about STEM subjects and jobs. So what role can education and training play in solving the STEM skills gap?

Relevant education for STEM jobs
Schools, colleges, and universities must align the subjects and courses they teach with the actual needs of the STEM industries. That means providing specialised education that equips pupils and students with practical skills relevant to STEM fields. However, this can only be achieved in collaboration with industry experts. For instance, universities and employers can foster collaboration through joint research projects, guest lectures, and knowledge exchange. Industry involvement will make sure that educational programmes remain relevant and responsive. Internships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning can play an active role in this process.

Improved STEM teacher recruitment and training
The shortage of skilled STEM teachers directly affects the creation of future professionals. Recruiting and retaining high-quality STEM educators is therefore essential to solve the STEM skills gap. Educational establishments must also invest in ongoing training for teachers to ensure their knowledge is aligned with the latest advances in the STEM fields.

Encourage diversity in STEM education
Educational establishments can create inclusive environments by questioning gender stereotypes and biases, for instance, not assuming boys will be more interested in engineering than girls. Young minds can also be inspired to pursue STEM careers if schools, colleges, and universities provide role models from a wide range of demographics.

 Government action

The UK government must also play its part in tackling the STEM skills gap. Here are three steps that the UK government could take.

Targeted monitoring and reporting
Close monitoring of STEM skill shortages, both nationally and regionally, will provide valuable information on:

• overall STEM skill shortages
• how STEM skill shortages vary across different counties and cities
• which specific STEM fields are facing the greatest shortages

This information is key to maintaining a dialogue with local councils, education, and STEM industries.

Collaboration with local councils and education
The UK government can gather valuable local insights by talking to local councils and educational establishments. With local data and solutions to hand, educational programmes and apprenticeships can be tailored to meet actual shortages in each location.

Talk to STEM industries
Ongoing communications with employers will help government policymakers remain informed about industry needs and have the ability to respond quickly. By talking to employers, the government can ensure that STEM education aligns with real-world demands and is responsive to emerging technologies.

 Stereotypes and diversity

STEM education and careers face serious challenges when it comes to equal participation. Many demographics are under-represented, for instance, women and people with disabilities. This under-representation reduces the pool of potential STEM workers, resulting in the current shortage of qualified candidates.

To promote inclusivity in the STEM fields, the following factors must be addressed.

Gender stereotypes
Gender stereotypes persist in STEM fields, promoting the perception that certain STEM careers, such as engineering, are more suitable for men than women. Instead, girls and women should be encouraged into STEM careers just as much as boys and men. One way to do this is to provide successful female role models, as well as male.

Ethnic and cultural diversity
Ethnic minorities continue to be under-represented in STEM roles and yet employers are fully aware of the values of diversity in the workplace. Ethnic minorities bring their own unique experiences, cultural insights, and viewpoints to the STEM fields. Providing role models from diverse ethnic backgrounds can inspire young people to pursue STEM careers.

Economic background
People from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to enter a STEM career because of barriers to high-quality education and a lack of resources. As a result, they are underrepresented across STEM education, training, and employment.

Education, industry, and the UK government can all play their role in improving this situation. Schools can help by offering after-school STEM clubs, and collaborating with community organisations, libraries, and local businesses to provide resources and support for STEM learning. Employers can provide mentorship opportunities for young people to meet with professionals who understand their challenges and can guide them toward STEM pathways. Finally, the UK government can offer scholarships for under-represented groups, prioritise equal access to quality education in their policies, and work with STEM employers to create pathways for disadvantaged individuals, such as apprenticeships, internships, and work-based learning.

Disability inclusion
Individuals with disabilities face many barriers to accessing STEM education and employment, and this is reflected in their under-representation in the STEM fields. Educational and working environments must be adapted to accommodate people with disabilities. This includes physical accessibility, adaptive technologies, and flexible work arrangements. It’s also important to provide successful STEM role models who have disabilities.

 Industry-education collaboration

A major cause of the STEM skills gap in the UK is the disparity between STEM education and available STEM jobs. So how can employers collaborate with schools, colleges, and universities to put this right?

Align curriculum with industry needs
Employers can play an important role in helping design educational curricula. This would ensure that what pupils and students are taught is a match for the STEM skills that employers need. Regular feedback from employers would maintain the relevance of STEM educational programmes and equip students with the skills needed for available STEM jobs.

Connect students with employers
STEM students can build a real-world impression of STEM fields and jobs from workplace exposure like site visits, guest lectures, and industry talks. Further direct links can be forged through internships and work experience opportunities. Employers can also mentor students, offering advice on career development, skills, and industry expectations.

Wrapping it up

The ongoing STEM skills shortage presents a severe challenge for employers, policymakers, and the UK economy. By fostering a skilled STEM workforce through education and training, government action, inclusivity, and collaboration, we can empower individuals to thrive in fulfilling careers while ensuring businesses have the STEM talent needed to compete and innovate.