Callie Rose Winch
Advocacy Analyst, Stemettes
As we mark International Women in Engineering Day 2025, the case for embedding STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) into the UK workforce has never been more urgent.
Technical know-how alone is no longer enough. The future of work will depend on people who can code and communicate, analyse and empathise, solve and imagine. The industry must act now to ensure these interdisciplinary skills are not sidelined but prioritised.
Complex STEM challenges
From climate innovation to ethical AI, our problems are systemic and demand more than siloed thinking. Integrating the Arts into STEM nurtures creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. These are not soft skills; they are survival skills in a world driven by rapid technological change and uncertainty.
At Stemettes, we’ve spent 12 years embedding this approach, offering free mentoring, curriculum-linked teaching resources and events that bridge technical and creative confidence. We intentionally centre young voices, especially those too often excluded from these conversations, and we see the benefits of a STEAM-first approach daily.
Women hold just 30% of
professorships across academia,
and only 20% in engineering.
A talent crisis the UK cannot afford
The numbers are undeniable. Women hold just 30% of professorships across academia, and only 20% in engineering. In roles central to critical technologies, women remain underrepresented: 15% of programmers, 8% of engineering technicians. Over a third of women in STEM report experiencing gender-based discrimination. Meanwhile, the UK urgently needs a more diverse, future-ready workforce.
Responsibility lies with individuals at all levels
Promote diverse STEAM role models visibly within your organisation. Learn from youth-focused, grassroots organisations, such as Stemettes, to implement equitable practice into workplace operations and policies. Recognise and reward creative, interdisciplinary thinking — not just traditional technical outputs.
Push for AI and emerging tech frameworks that centre ethics, inclusivity and creative insight. Share what works. Challenge what doesn’t. Crucially, ensure young people have a seat at the table where policy and innovation are shaped.
We cannot future-proof the workforce without rethinking how we define excellence. STEAM isn’t an add-on; it’s the framework for a workforce capable of meeting tomorrow with resilience, imagination and equity.
