Claire Arbery, director at West of England Institute of Technology, says It's interesting as I write this that next week, we'll see the celebration of the International Day for Women on the 8th of March. During my career I've been to several events and conferences designed to promote opportunities in Science Technology Engineering and Maths [STEM] but are we making an impact?
The good news
Over the past few years there has been an increase in the overall number of students and, in particular, girls following both science GCSE’s and A levels. This has been as a result of the direct investment by the Department of Education in the Triple Science Support programme and significant investment in science support organisations. As a result, there are more students leaving school and college with better understanding and a desire to use science and technology in their job role.
Whilst there is an increase in the number of students following these qualifications, does this lead to more trained individuals in the workplace?
The not so good news
We cannot lay all the blame for there being less opportunity for young people to secure positions in work using their STEM skills at the door of COVID-19. Employers need to consider how they may be able to introduce roles for younger workers into their business, and possibly reskill existing employees into higher skilled roles. There is a shortage of suitable roles for apprentices to join organisations and now is the time to consider your action plan for the future.
So, what can you do?
Now might be a good time to review your staffing for the next 18 months. With hopefully the unlocking of England over the next couple of months it is hoped that businesses will start to reopen and return to site by the summer.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there an opportunity to upskill one of your existing staff into a higher position?
- Can we create an opportunity elsewhere for an apprentice to join your business?
- What are the skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to see?
- Are there roles that do not just graduate level entry?
- Do your job adverts attract a diverse range of candidates?
- Do you have a good training provider to support you?
Remember that Apprenticeship programmes are heavily subsidised with 95% of the fees funded for SME’s. It is expected that the Chancellor will announce increased incentives for Apprentices recruited in the budget, which is an additional support.
Not ready to recruit just yet? What else can you do?
Remember you can have influence outside of your working role. If you are a parent or a governor at a local primary or secondary school, why not ask what they are doing around STEM education and careers. There's lots of support out there from both the excellent STEM ambassadors programme, and support for schools with careers guidance through the Enterprise Advisor support programme.
Here to help
Part of the work of the West of England IoT is to support the increase in the number of women engaging with Higher Technical Education, increasing the numbers recruited to Apprenticeship opportunities and to follow Higher Education routes, in a more local setting. As part of our licence to operate we have committed to 2000 learners by 2025 with a 50% female participation.
There are opportunities for adults to upskill and reskill using both Apprenticeship and Higher Education funding, and we are committed to increasing the numbers of students from areas that do not traditionally access this level of skills and training. Our commitment is a minimum 40% of learners upskilling to these roles.
And finally….
You have lots to offer our local community so why not engage, or even better offer an apprenticeship place to a young person to start on their career.
As always feel free to pop me an email at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @WE_IoT