Why support STEM education
In 2008, the CBI Education & Skills survey reported that:
- Nine out of ten firms employ STEM-skilled people. Many businesses need highly numerate and analytical STEM-skilled people for financial positions in their companies.
- 40 per cent of employers across all sectors need STEM-skilled people to design and innovate new products and services.
- Nearly a quarter of employers value STEM skills in sales and marketing roles.
HOWEVER
- Six out of ten employers are having difficulty recruiting STEM-skilled individuals.
- Over 40 per cent of employers find that the STEM graduates who they employ lack the right skills.
- Larger employers are now thinking internationally when recruiting STEM-skilled employees. Over a third recruit from India and a quarter recruit from China.
The input of employers into education is becoming increasingly critical in re-educating students and teachers about the relevance of STEM to their everyday lives and the career opportunities that are available, as well as helping to sustain the UK’s future economy by building a bank of highly skilled, STEM-literate employees for the future.
