The future is bright with STEM

Never before has there been a stronger push for women to opt for STEM-related careers and for girls to choose STEM subjects to study. In the latest analysis of the UK labour market statistics, women make up just 12.8% of the STEM workforce and females are still chronically under-represented across all fields of science, with the UK having the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe.

At Barrow Hills School we are actively encouraging children to consider STEM to help them access a wide choice of exciting careers.

Co-educational schools have a responsibility to inspire girls and boys to see STEM-based careers as an equal option to both sexes. Girls need to be encouraged to acknowledge the relevance of STEM careers to them, while boys need to be educated to appreciate that girls are equally capable of success in STEM industries, thus ensuring the future STEM workplace is evenly represented by women and men.

With this in mind we recently held a dedicated STEM careers event at Barrow Hills School, which highlighted the benefits of working in these sectors. Designed specifically for Year 8 children, it was based on the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) initiative, which promotes an increase in the participation, contribution and success of women in STEM. 

We have a responsibility to encourage girls and boys to understand the benefits of working together

Titled ‘People Like Us’, the event provided the children with access to an all-female panel of speakers. They were inspiring to the girls and also made the boys rethink their views on STEM. Both boys and girls attending the event showed interest in learning about STEM subjects and it was good to see how thoughtful young people are about their future career choices. Children benefited from completing a personality profile, which helped them concentrate more effectively on the sort of careers that would not only suit their character, but those which also deliver a sense of job satisfaction. The findings will help shape the school’s future plans to engage its children in a quality STEM programme.

In all areas of the curriculum a good co-educational school should be committed to ensuring pupils achieve the best they can, excel at whichever subjects they love, regardless of historic subject stereotyping. Whatever academic topic is being taught, we have a responsibility to encourage girls and boys to understand the benefits of working together and of recognising the potential for mixed teams to achieve more than any individual could.

One of the key benefits of this exercise has been its ability to open up the boys’ eyes to comprehending that all careers are equally open to both genders. This has helped to raise awareness among the boys of the valued role that girls can play in the work environment.

We are now planning to build more opportunities into the curriculum that are key to delivering a quality STEM programme. A STEM qualification opens up a world of exciting career paths to follow and people with STEM qualifications are in demand. We aim to bring attention to the fact that there are many opportunities to make a real difference, both at home and globally. 

Our younger generation is the key to unlocking this potential and we must encourage more of them to follow this route. 

W: barrowhills.org.uk