Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Third Special Report of Session 2022/23 of the Sconce, Innovation and Technology Committee Diversity and inclusion in STEM: Government Response to the Committee’s Fifth Report, HC 1427, published on 16 June 2023, what progress her Department has made on a cross-Government action plan to ensure a diverse range of people enter the science and technology workforce by 2030.

Demand for skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is growing across the country. We must ensure that everyone, regardless of where they live or come from, has the opportunity to receive outstanding STEM education and pursue STEM-related careers in critical technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, engineering biology, future telecoms, and semiconductors.

Participation in STEM skills programmes is also increasing. Since 2010, there has been a 35% increase in the number of STEM A level entries from girls in England: girls made up 44% of all STEM entries at A level in 2022 and 51% of all science entries at A level in 2022. Since 2018, there has been a 30% increase in the number of STEM A level entries from black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils in England: this compares to a 7% increase in overall entries over the same period. The department has also seen the number of STEM apprenticeship starts by women increase year-on-year, with 14,110 starts in the 2021/22 academic year, an increase of 56% compared to 9,020 starts in the 2017/18 academic year.

The department must build on this progress by continuing to expand opportunities for participation in STEM. That is why we are working with departments across government on the Talent and Skills strand of the UK Science & Technology Framework to ensure a diverse range of people enter the science and technology workforce by 2030. Actions contributing to this ambition include:

• The department funds the National Centre for Computing Education’s ‘I Belong’ programme to improve secondary schools’ awareness of barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and support them in taking sustained action to improve the take-up of computer science qualifications.
• UK Research and Innovation’s STEM Ambassadors programme inspires young people from under-served backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects by bringing to life the opportunities they open up. Approximately 45% of STEM Ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)’s AI and Data Science Conversion Course programme, established in 2020, funds universities to develop master’s level AI or data science courses suitable for non-STEM students alongside 1,000 scholarships. Since then, over 6,300 students have enrolled on these courses. As of December 2022, 73% of scholarships on the programme had been awarded to women, 35% to black students, 24% to students from another ethnic minority background, and 26% to students with disabilities. DSIT is now working with employers to co-fund 2,000 more scholarships. For every scholarship that industry funds, the government will fund an additional three across the programme.
• The department will shortly publish a public consultation on the Advanced British Standard, a new Baccalaureate-style qualification which will harness the best of A levels and T Levels to support young people with the knowledge and skills they need for the future economy. The new qualification will provide more breadth and increased teaching time, ensuring all young people are prepared for employment and life.