Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage students in (a) schools and (b) universities to study subjects that could lead to careers in the commercial space sector.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) skills are in demand by employers across the country, and demand is growing. The department is investing in STEM education at all levels to ensure people have access to high-quality STEM teaching and can access STEM career opportunities within sectors such as the space sector.
The department is investing to recruit and retain high-quality teachers of STEM related subjects in schools and further education. Since autumn 2022, early career teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry, or computing, who work in disadvantaged, state-funded secondary schools have been able to claim a Levelling Up Premium of up to £3,000 tax free per year, for up to three years. We also fund a suite of training and professional development offers to support high-quality STEM teaching.
The department is boosting the take-up of STEM subjects by delivering my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s ambition of ensuring all students in England study maths to 18. We are also funding tailored maths support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, investing £84 million into the National Centre for Computing Education to drive increased participation in computer science, and funding research programmes on how to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects.
The government also supports programmes such as STEM Ambassadors, which inspires young people from under-served backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects.
The department is investing an additional £750 million over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support high-quality teaching and facilities in higher education, including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. Degree apprenticeships offer people of all backgrounds a unique opportunity to combine degree-level study with being in a job and earning from day one.
Mentions:
1: Whittle, Brian (Con - South Scotland) We should be encouraging Scottish pupils to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects - Speech Link
2: Stewart, Kaukab (SNP - Glasgow Kelvin) The centre is dedicated to enriching the professional learning of science, technology, engineering and - Speech Link
3: Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Lab - Glasgow) exposure that they need to the subjects—science, maths, engineering and computing—that support these - Speech Link
4: Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Lab - Glasgow) science, physics, engineering and graphic communication. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Kerr, Liam (Con - North East Scotland) which there are 350 fewer science teachers, 300 fewer maths teachers and 65 fewer physics teachers in - Speech Link
2: Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Lab - Glasgow) Nowhere is that seen more obviously, as we have heard, than in science, technology, engineering and maths—skills - Speech Link
3: Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Lab - Glasgow) We need to teach children that maths is useful and introduce them to real-life examples of science and - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green - Life peer) That is a useful illustration of how fast this whole area is moving and how fast technology, science - Speech Link
2: None I am very interested in citizen science. - Speech Link
3: Lord Kamall (Con - Life peer) I said to the responsible person in the department, “I did engineering and maths, so can you send me - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Siobhan Baillie (CON - Stroud) a job and progress in the job they have. - Speech Link
2: Guy Opperman (CON - Hexham) We need to do that not least because we are trying to reduce unemployment and improve social inclusion - Speech Link
Feb. 20 2024
Source Page: Technology TrackerFound: Technology Tracker
Found: all of English reading, writing and maths, compared to 56% of boys.
Mentions:
1: Dunbar, Jackie (SNP - Aberdeen Donside) doing to bring science, technology, engineering and maths learning about wind farms and engineering - Speech Link
2: Whittle, Brian (Con - South Scotland) and engineering capacity, to deliver on that opportunity, but none of that happened. - Speech Link
3: Chapman, Maggie (Green - North East Scotland) inclusion; and that prioritises the wellbeing of our citizens and the sustainability of our planet, - Speech Link
4: Fraser, Murdo (Con - Mid Scotland and Fife) The new technology is coming on. - Speech Link
May. 20 2023
Source Page: UK Space Agency announces Space for Everyone tour across the UK this summerFound: varied careers available in the UK space sector.
Mentions:
1: Nick Fletcher (Con - Don Valley) We have been rising up the international rankings on maths, reading and science, and yet today boys are - Speech Link
2: David Johnston (Con - Wantage) in reading, writing and maths combined has also supported that. - Speech Link