Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage pupils to study STEM subjects in (a) further and (b) higher education in (i) Wakefield and (ii) West Yorkshire.

The government is encouraging more students, including those in Wakefield and West Yorkshire, into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and training at all stages from primary school to higher education. Improving take-up of STEM subjects is vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity.

To ensure a strong pipeline of qualified students into higher education and careers in STEM areas, the department has committed substantial spending on mathematics, digital and technical education to increase take-up and better teaching of STEM subjects in schools.

We have also introduced T Levels as a high-quality technical alternative to A levels. T Levels in Digital and Construction were launched last year, Health and Science will be taught for the first time from this September, and courses in Engineering and Manufacturing will launch in 2022. In the West Yorkshire area, Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College and Shipley College began teaching the Digital T Level last year. Wakefield College, Calderdale College and Leeds City College plan to deliver T Levels (including Digital, Construction, Health & Science and Education & Childcare) from September this year. A further 3 providers - Kirklees College, Leeds College of Building and Garforth Academy - will start delivering T Levels (including Digital, Construction, Health & Science, Education & Childcare, Business Administration and Engineering & Manufacturing) in 2022.

The government is also funding the creation of up to 20 Institutes of Technology, which will be centres of excellence for technical training. These unique collaborations between further education colleges, universities and businesses offer higher technical education and training (mainly at levels 4 and 5) in key sectors such as digital, construction, advanced manufacturing and engineering.

The government also funds programmes to support STEM and the creation of a more diverse STEM workforce now and in the future, such as the STEM Ambassador programme and the CREST Awards, which focus on increasing engagement in STEM through informal and extra-curricular activities, to support young people’s learning, skills and decision-making in pursuing STEM qualifications and careers.

The STEM Ambassadors programme is a nationwide network of over 30,000 volunteers representing over 7,000 employers, who engage with young people to support their interest and knowledge in STEM subjects and to illuminate the broad range of STEM careers through their own experiences. STEM Ambassadors delivered over half a million volunteering hours per year, acting as relatable role models to illustrate to young people that science, research, engineering and innovation is for ‘people like me’ (57% of STEM Ambassadors are under 35, 45% are women and 15% are from an ethnic minority background).

Careers information, advice and guidance opens young people’s eyes to a range of different career possibilities, such as careers in STEM, and challenge stereotypes as well as helping to prepare young people for the workplace.

We know that supporting schools to deliver STEM-related careers education is important. Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers.

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) launched a STEM toolkit to support Careers Leaders, helping them to build STEM-specific content into their careers strategy. The toolkit can be found here: https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/467467/stem-careers-toolkit-secondary-schools-and-colleges. The CEC has funded encounters between young people and STEM employers since it was established, investing in organisations like Engineering UK, Greenpower Trust and Manufacturing UK.

The CEC is also working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to help Enterprise Coordinators in those areas with the lowest uptake of STEM qualifications to make sure that STEM encounters are built into careers and enterprise plans.