What is the UK doing about its...

What is the UK doing about its STEM skills shortfall?

Does the UK have the skills to keep up in a changing world? At current rates, not really.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the UK is facing a technical skills shortage.

According to the UK Commission for Employment & Skills, 43pc of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) vacancies are hard to fill. This is mainly down to a shortage of applicants with the required skills and experience.

The core root of this growing skills gap is education, from school through to university and workplace training.

Only 15,000 UK students sat a computing or ICT A-Level this summer – accounting for less than 2pc of the overall exams sat. Although there was a slight year-on-year increase in the number of computing A-Levels taken in 2016, the numbers only grew by around 500 students, a tiny handful of the hundreds of thousands of exams sat, and tracking far below the growing number of jobs being created in the technology sector.

So how is the UK tackling the STEM skills shortage? And how can businesses get involved?.

 

Coding kids

Much of the effort to increase the supply of technical specialists is focusing on the start of the pipeline – primary school pupils. Coding classes are now commonplace in schools, libraries and community centres, aimed at encouraging youngsters to understand the technology behind their smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Code Club is a network of after-school clubs across the UK and is always on the lookout for more organisations to get involved and volunteer their time and expertise to help kids learn about coding. There are currently more than 4,600 clubs across the UK, teaching more than 65,000 kids aged from nine to 11.

There are ready-made projects available with step-by-step guides to help children learn Scratch, HTML and Python by making games, animations and websites.

On the hardware side, two excellent projects should ensure our current youngsters are much more technically savvy than the current workforce.

The Raspberry Pi is a mini computer board, which you can get hold of for as little as £4 to get kids building their own PC and trying out programming. Similarly, the BBC has sent out around one million of its micro:bit credit card-sized computers for Year 7 children across the UK.

 

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship schemes are already proving a successful way of nurturing new STEM talent.

The Tech Partnership is spearheading much of the work across the UK, with its network of employers working to create skills for the UK’s digital economy.

According to The Tech Partnership, the number of digital apprentices has increased by 21pc over the past year.

The economic value to employers investing in new talent proves the worth of the scheme: level 2 and 3 apprentices deliver £27 of economic benefit for every £1 invested, according to the organisation.

Level 2-4 apprenticeships let UK businesses attract ambitious school-leavers keen to pursue a career in fields like network engineering, software development and cyber security.

The individual gets workplace training and experience, while the organisation gets access to the right skills for their business in a cost-effective way.

Degree apprenticeships have been developed by Tech Partnership employers and higher education institutions, allowing students to gain an integrated Honours degree covering both academic learning and on-the-job training.

The Digital & Technology Solutions BSc (Hons) degree, launched in 2015, develops degree apprentices to work in a wide range of graduate-level tech roles, including cyber-security analyst and data analyst. It is available at 14 UK universities so far.

Students can also opt for the IT Management for Business BSc, ideal for those who want a business career in a digital economy; the Software Development for Business BSc, available at eight universities across the UK; or the IT Management for Business (MSc), a one-year post-grad course aimed at graduates with non-IT degrees wanting to gain fundamental technical knowledge.

Brother is one of the organisations that has decided to invest in apprenticeships and has seen positive results.

The firm explains: “We have digital apprentices at the firm who are already savvy and have come straight from vocational tech qualifications. It’s often a great solution for the business and the apprentice.”

 

Back to basics

The UK government is only too aware of the digital skills problem. Its latest scheme aims to tackle the issue at its most basic level.

At the start of October, it unveiled an initiative to make training in basic digital skills free for all adults lacking relevant qualifications.

On launching the proposal, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said: “In today’s digital economy, being able to use modern technology and navigate the internet should be considered as important as English and Maths. But too many people struggle to get by, with more than 10 million adults in England lacking the basic digital skills they need.

“We will make sure all adults who need it can receive free training in digital skills to equip them for the modern world.”

The initiative will see courses delivered by colleges and other adult education providers, with training provided from the existing Adult Education Budget.

 

Banishing stereotypes

Naomi Climer, who has recently stepped down as the first female president of the 145-year-old Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), points out that giving STEM subjects an image overhaul will encourage more people to join the sector.

“The UK has an unhelpful national stereotype of engineering. This influences children, especially through parents, teachers and the media – including the careers advice given at schools, and schools not giving girls the confidence to opt for science and Maths A-Levels,” she notes.

The IET is taking steps to encourage adults to support the younger generation if they show an interest in pursuing a STEM career.

The organisation recently held its second Engineering Open House Day, which involved industry professionals from firms such as BT and the National Theatre showcasing the range of jobs available within the sector to children and their parents.