Increasing Diversity in STEM careers

Introduction

Ben Howett MP secured a Westminster Hall debate on Increasing diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.  The debate will take place on 19 January 2015, between 16:30 – 17:30.

There will be a digital debate on Twitter, ahead of the Westminster Hall debate. The digital debate will take place on Monday 18 January 2015, between 13:00 – 14:00, using #WomenInSTEM 

Promoting women in STEM – schools in England

In response to a January 2016 debate on feminism in the school curriculum, Schools Minister Nick Gibb set out the measures the Government was taking to encourage girls to study STEM subjects, drawing attention to:

• Government funding for the Stimulating Physics Network and Further Mathematics Support programme, with a particular focus on engaging more girls.
• The STEM ambassadors programme; 40 per cent of the 31,000 STEM ambassadors were women, he noted.
• Government funding for Engineering UK to deliver the Big Bang Near Me activities – a local version of the Big Bang fair. In 2015, this reached 100,000 pupils, half of whom were girls
• Providing support for maths and science teachers through the National Science Learning Network and national network of maths hubs.
• Bursaries and scholarships to attract top STEM graduates into teaching
• Investing £67 million in training teachers in maths and physics
• Providing support for the triple science GCSE programme.
• Backing the Your Life campaign to increase significantly the numbers taking A-level physics and maths, particularly girls. This is a digital campaign to demonstrate the range of opportunities that maths and science can lead to.

Further and Higher Education

There are a range of other initiatives and funding streams aimed at supporting and recruiting STEM higher education students in England, including:

• Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) monitoring of and funding for strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS), plus support for projects such as SIGMA, a maths and statistics network.
• Individual institutional scholarships for high-achieving students wishing to study STEM.
• University outreach programmes encouraging both boys and girls to study STEM.
• Flexible STEM degrees for students without science qualifications.
• Generally, financial support is not available to students wanting to study a second degree, but the rules about student support for those wishing to pursue a second degree in a STEM subject have been relaxed.

From 2016-17, roll-out of income contingent student loans to some masters students (including, but not limited to, STEM students). The Government also indicated in a November 2015 policy document that it was committed to the introduction of fee loans for doctoral students

Science and Technology Committee

In the last Parliament, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee published a report and government response on women in scientific careers:

• House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Women in scientific careers, HC 701, 6 February 2014
• House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Women in scientific careers: Government Response to the Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2013–14, HC 1268, 7 May 2014