SDLP Education Spokesperson Seán Rogers MLA has highlighted the under-representation of women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) sector.
Speaking in the NI Assembly chamber today, Mr Rogers said this failing requires a cross-departmental approach to remedy and that information should be available to girls at early stages to encourage them to consider a career in STEM.
He said: “Gender imbalance in the STEM sector must be addressed as matter of gender equality and of economic urgency. Women currently make up 46% of the UK’s workforce, but just 15.5% of the core STEM workforce.
“The lack of uptake of STEM subjects is worrying. If we are to generate a higher level of research and development, we need the engineers, the technicians and the skilled scientists working in Northern Ireland. The demand for STEM graduates is increasing at a time when Northern Ireland is facing a brain drain with so many of our young people studying and working abroad on a one-way ticket out of Northern Ireland. The UK economy needs more STEM workers and we cannot meet the demand without increasing the number of women in STEM.
“We cannot have a discrete departmental approach to this: the DEL, Education and DETI Ministers need to come together and ensure that our STEM curriculum is attractive to employers and that it equips our young people with the skills prized by the industry.
“STEM is male-dominated and the reasons for the lack of female representation in the industry are varied, but tackling these barriers in schools is one of the first steps we can take. Informative and correct careers advice could ensure that more girls and young women are fully aware of the benefits that studying these subjects can bring.
“This is not a case of forcing students into subjects which they have no interest in but no student should overlook STEM subjects because of lack of information or misperceptions of it being a “boys only” club,” added Mr Rogers.
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