STEM education system ‘in need of complete overhaul'

That's according to a report released this week by non-profit organisation NEF, based on consultations with more than 100 STEM based companies, including Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, BT, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, Cobham and Raytheon. The 'Inventing the Future' report calls for a complete overhaul of STEM education in the UK, including the return to polytechnics, to keep pace with disruptive technology and safeguard jobs and economic growth. "STEM education in many further and higher education courses is largely based on assessment and qualifications that are decades old, outdated and restrictive," the report suggests. "NEF's three-year review of further education colleges found that STEM provision was inadequate in virtually every case. In the worst examples, 80% of the curriculum was not aligned with the needs of industry." With several UK companies now adopting advances in areas such as biotechnology, additive manufacturing and nanotechnology, the jobs landscape and skills requirements of most STEM based sectors are changing fast. However, the report warns that our STEM education is not preparing the next generation of workers for these changes, with many companies stating that industry newcomers are often ill prepared for the workplace and have to undergo further training in order to gain the required competencies. In a recent NEF survey, only 16% of STEM based companies said that their skills requirements were being fully met. As such, NEF wants industry and academia to work together to create long term, regional skills strategies. It is also calling for the return of regional polytechnics, the establishment of community education centres and the abolition of a fixed STEM curriculum. "It's time for all stakeholders – government, industry and academia – to collaborate together on a concerted programme of change," said NEF chief executive Professor Sa'ad Medhat. "Doing nothing is no longer an option. Action must be taken to transform our STEM economies, both for the good of the students and the long term economic health of UK plc." The full report can be downloaded here. Leave your thoughts/suggestions in the comments below.