Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Bill Rammell addressed the Fabian Science and Technology Network on 19th March 2007, leading a discussion on the skills gap in the UK science and engineering sectors.

The second in the Fabian Science and Technology Network seminar series, held on Monday 2nd April 2007, brought politicians and academics as well as representatives of industry and education together to discuss how to fill Britain's Stem skills gap. Discussion focussed on the image of science and technology and how to encourage young people to study these subjects but also where responsibility for tackling these issues lies.

The Leitch review was welcomed as highly effective and praised for having established a consensus on the right strategy for skills. Participants agreed that as the number of skilled jobs in the UK continues to rise and unskilled to plummet there could be no doubt as to the importance of a highly developed skills base for the continuing economic strength of the UK. It was accepted that education must be market and skills led.

Two major challenges were quickly identified through discussion; attracting young people to the study of Stem subjects and ensuring Stem graduates have the skills employers need.

It seems that the science and technology industry has an image problem that is preventing young people from studying science or looking for jobs in this field. Participants suggested that jobs in science and innovation were often perceived as dull and unappealing. As in previous discussion it was suggested that a more science literate population would be enthused by the impact of scientific developments in their day to day lives and be able to engage in the exciting debates among scientists on issues such as climate change and genetic research. Such an improvement in the image of science and technology would encourage young people to pursue a career in this area. Reforms to the curriculum at Key stages 3 and 4 were praised for including topics that students will have encountered in the media, such as the science of Stem cells and the MMR jab, demonstrating the relevance of science to their lives and enabling them to consider these debates more critically.

The new science diploma was also perceived as one way to demonstrate to young people the ways that science applies to their day to day life. However, individuals expressed concern about the content of the new diplomas with one describing the proposed syllabuses of the engineering diploma as "boring" without enough real life case studies to engage young people. It was observed though that the content for the new diplomas is not yet finalised and employers were urged to engage in the development of the courses. Concerns were also expressed about the number of "out of field" teachers teaching Stem subjects – this will create a vicious circle with people unlikely to continue study of the subjects if they are poorly taught, compounding the shortage of Stem teachers.

Representatives of industry admitted that they often fail to tell the story of the work they do to young people in a way that communicates how exciting and fascinating it can be. Scientists and those working in Stem fields must do more to promote their subjects and convey the benefits of a job using these skills.

However, getting more people to study STEM subjects will be insufficient to close the skills gap. Employers claimed that when they recruit graduates they are often disappointed in their skills. It was asserted that graduates often lack basic knowledge of their discipline, the ability to apply the knowledge they've gained through study and the capacity to think independently.

Back to the Supply of Skills

On this issue all agreed that employers and education providers need to work together more effectively to ensure that courses actually create the graduates that employers want and need. Where employers had worked with universities they claimed the experience had been highly fruitful for all parties; the most relevant courses are more attractive to students choosing their courses, graduates of these employer-led courses are more likely to gain employment and industry has access to a pool of talent with the skills and knowledge they need.

However, there are a number of challenges here. The pace of change is such that employers are not always the best predictors of how there own skills needs will develop over the next decade, making it difficult for them to tell universities what they are looking for. A proposed solution was that courses should focus on the basic science and technology skills that can be transferred and developed. Here it was emphasised that the workforce and employers must accept that education must extend beyond the class room if Britain is to close the skills gap. The pace of change is such that those who are already in the workforce must continue their development if they are to be able to succeed in a high skill economy. As such, schemes such as Train To Gain are vital. However, it was also suggested that individuals must take greater responsibility for their own development. We should cultivate a culture of self-improvement; in this respect Learner Accounts are very successful as a way to encourage people to take responsibility for their own development. For life long learning to be compatible with employment, learning providers must develop a range of shorter courses that employers can send their staff on to ensure their progression.

Some participants were criticised for displaying a "things ain't what they used to be" attitude and failing to recognise much of the progress made. Government focus on this agenda has led to an increase in applications for Stem subjects at universities, with physics, chemistry and engineering all up between 10 and 12 per cent. It was suggested that the introduction of variable fees has encouraged young people to think harder about their choices of degree with benefits for Stem subjects which tend towards greater career opportunities and higher salaries. There have also been improved results in Stem subjects at age 14 and the proportion of people with a 2:1 or first class degree entering teacher training has increased. These improvements form part of a trend that is heading in the right direction, something that was not previously the case

There was some discussion of the fact that much of the increase in Stem university place applications come from overseas students. Many of these students will not, in the long-term, be entitled to work in the UK, and there was disagreement as to the best policy response to this issue. While some suggested that more should be done to encourage British students to study Stem subjects, it was also observed that overseas students have enabled many Stem departments to remain open and that without them many universities would not be in a position to teach these courses at all. Rather than discourage overseas applications, some participants advocated an extension of the period overseas Stem graduates are entitled to work in the UK. This would make more employers inclined to take on overseas graduates and invest money in their training. Others remarked that a large number of overseas students is good long term for international business relationships. Those who study here often develop a fondness for the UK and after they return home are more inclined to do business with the British.

Improved science teaching and updated syllabuses in schools should enthuse young people about a career in science and make them more likely to continue Stem study after they leave school. But there remains disagreement about who is responsible for ensuring those who do study Stem subjects at university actually have the skills employers and our economy need; there is a real tension here between the autonomy of universities and learning providers and in creating a market-led education. There remains a great deal of work to be done to facilitate partnerships between employers and learning providers. Learning providers must be more prepared to listen to the needs of employers but equally employers must make a greater effort to speak with a coherent voice and think strategically about their skills needs. This is an area of discussion that the Fabians intend to investigate further in future network discussions.

Event report by Jemima Olchawski.