John Cope
Director of Strategy, Policy & Public Affairs, UCAS
The UK’s STEM shortfall is a common challenge for our skills gap. A nation once famed as the cradle of the industrial revolution is watching its engineers and technicians retire with little sign of young replacements.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 1884, a report praised the “knowledge of the masters and managers of industrial establishments on the Continent” compared to the UK. Too often snobbery, too little career advice, low attainment in subjects like maths and the under-representation of minority groups, including LGBT+ people and girls1 are responsible. In the 137 years since that report, none of these have been overcome.
Benefits of apprenticeships
Many, including myself, now see apprenticeships as our best hope. But despite an overhaul, the battle against misperception continues.
Take the 74% of students who consider degrees ‘prestigious’ and compare them to the 4% who feel the same about apprenticeships, despite employers like IBM, Microsoft and Capgemini offering highly regarded apprenticeships2.
The problem is not a lack of innovation. In 2010, Higher Apprenticeships and academic qualifications ushered in a new age of adult apprentices. In 2015, degree apprenticeships became attainable and 2017 saw stable funding via the apprenticeship levy. But like many challenges reframed for a modern world, it is a struggle over information.
Almost 90% of young people say they haven’t received enough careers advice to make an informed decision.
Early career pathways
Therefore careers advice must be offered earlier. Two in five pupils told us that better information during primary school would have led to better decisions in secondary school. Combine this with increased employer interactions at school and one of the final hurdles will be cleared.
The evidence for this is clear. Almost 90% of young people say they haven’t received enough careers advice to make an informed decision. Inexcusably, almost a third say they received zero information about apprenticeships, despite more than half being interested in them. This must change.
The most obvious route for reform comes in the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. Alongside this, UCAS is investing heavily in Career Finder, our free tool available to the 700,000 young people who come to us annually for advice. In the past year, this tool has seen a 37% increase in views and a 24% rise in applications.
With more businesses getting on board, government playing their part, young people getting better careers advice and UCAS stepping up more than ever, the UK’s century old STEM conundrum will finally be fixed.
[1] https://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/uk-stem-education-landscape
[2] https://www.topapprenticeshipemployers.co.uk/files/Top-100-Apprenticeship-Employers-2020-list.pdf