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MPs demand action on STEM skills gap

Computing and STEM
A range of barriers to effective STEM education have been highlighted by a cross-party committee of MPs. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee is concerned about the quality of careers advice, the impact of teacher training bursaries, the STEM gender gap, and problems with poorly designed Apprenticeships.

A report published on Friday (June 22) focuses on growing concern about the STEM skills gap in the UK, which it says could be further affected by exit from the European Union next year.

Part of the report focuses on the role of education, where one of the key problems continues to be the gender gap in STEM study.

It states: “Girls and women are under-represented in most STEM subject areas at every stage of the STEM skills pipeline. For example, while girls made up 61.8 per cent of A level entries in biology in 2016/17, they represented just 9.4 per cent of entries in computing, 21.2 per cent in physics, and 39 per cent in mathematics. In addition, only eight per cent of STEM Apprenticeship starts are undertaken by girls and women, despite making up over 50 per cent of Apprenticeship starts overall.”

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