Engineering equity in STEM employment

The project considered how to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the STEM workforce in the twenty-first century. The opportunity to engage in meaningful work enhances individual health and well-being, as well as enhancing social cohesion and economic prosperity. Specifically, the project considered how technical expertise in industry and academia can be shared with people who are hugely under-represented in the STEM workforce despite their evident capabilities and interest in STEM. The scheme builds upon a highly successful STEM for sustainability summer school that ran last summer and will involve researchers who attended last year, along with others who expressed an interest in joining the project, plus pupils from South Ayrshire schools who have ASN. In addition, the scheme involved regional STEM employers, giving them a chance to develop their understanding of the capacities of diverse young people and their potential to contribute positively to their organisations.

The project brought together researchers, employers, members of third sector organisations and young people who are under-represented in STEM to work on STEM-related activities. Building upon a previous successful STEM scheme with pupils with ASN, the collaboration ran a range of STEM activities designed to develop the skills that are needed in the STEM industries. This culminated with some participants running stalls at a public STEM day and communicating what they had learnt to visitors. The next step will be for the participants to take their Young STEM Leaders qualification, based on the work undertaken.