It is no secret that there is a skill gap forming within the engineering sector, with talent acquisition a huge talking point within organisations. As the pool of potential engineering employees seemingly shrinks, it has never been more important for businesses to turn their attention to how they can address the shortage. For years, the traditional attitude of assuming a steady stream of capable students will choose to enter STEM industries is now proving to be a real-life issue. Have we in tech and communications industries brought this shortage upon ourselves through neglecting our own role to play within this? Should we be relying upon governmental initiatives to drive schools to promote STEM or does the buck stop with us?
But what can be done?
Investing within education can seem fairly low on the priority list, with the current financial squeeze seeing cutbacks and the reprioritisation within funding allocation. It is seen by some as the long game with potentially no ROI. Another misconception is that educational initiatives are for ‘the big guys’ – the large organisations with extensive resources. However, this really must be seen as an issue for ANY organisation which hopes to be operational in decades to come. Brilliant schemes are in place which we as industry stakeholders can take inspiration from and propel our expertise into our local education systems. We need to drive the next generation to understand the tangible outcomes they can achieve by pursuing STEM subjects.
Making satcom tangible
An excellent example of a STEM initiative which prioritises providing tangible, hands-on experience is the work being done at Shaftesbury School, a UK education setting for 11-18 years olds located in Dorset. Initiated by Alex More, Lead Teacher of Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Assistant Head Teacher, Shaftesbury implemented a ‘Future Classroom’ in which students take on an array of topics and projects using AR (artificial reality), VR (virtual reality), group sessions, presentations on a ‘no desk’ basis. Alex also changed the STEM approach by adding ‘Arts’ into the mix creating STEAM and his students are the ‘STEAM Ambassadors’. Since its launch in 2020, the school has had a steady stream of students pursuing careers in maths, engineering and scientific subjects.
SIG Board Advisor, Martin Coleman, was invited to work alongside the initiative, providing an insight into his role, work experience opportunities, and arranging trips to satellite operator and manufacturer sites. By providing his personal insight from within the satcom industry enabled students to have a real understanding of the kind of work available to them if they were to pursue careers in STEM. Henry Slatter, a student of the initiative, explained, ‘from working with [Martin], it was really cool seeing all of the different industries there are to work in within aerospace. It’s not all about building a satellite – it has really broadened my horizon on what I can do in the space industry’.
Bringing STEM to underserved regions
It’s also important to think beyond our doorsteps when considering STEM strategies. Alex More of Shaftesbury School is demonstrating the importance of providing access to the same resources detailed above to pupils further afield. He is now linking up with a school in Ghana to provide a virtual ‘Future Classroom’ to promote interest in STEM. He was quick to learn that his Ghanaian students had a huge desire to learn about science and technology. During a lesson, one of his students mentioned it was her dream to try VR. From here, the school started fundraising and gathered sponsorship. Within months, enough money had been raised to create a Future Classroom in Team, just outside of Accra. The impact was immediate. With improved connection speed, the new technology is now used to inspire children in the region to pursue careers within STEM.
An industry’s responsibility
There are many aspects of the work being done at Shaftesbury School that can be implemented easily by businesses within the technology and communications industries, no matter their size. Engaging with educational departments can be the first step: do you know what STEM initiatives they have? Can you offer their students insight into what your business does? Without taking the initiative to get involved with educational settings, we as an industry are missing out on aiding bright students to explore what opportunities are available to them. This has never been more important than now; the industry is facing hindered expansion due to a lack of skilled personnel. We work within our industries as we are proud of the innovative and pioneering technologies we bring to the market, and we need to be selling this excitement to the next generation.
Remember, for the sake of a few hours of personal effort by each and every employee of your business, per year, working with their local school can make a huge difference to solving the talent and skills shortage we are seeing today!
November 8th is National STEM Day – make sure to share your STEM initiatives to inspire other industry stakeholders to implement their own schemes.
Not sure where to start? Here are some STEM Resources: