Levelling up means upskilling our workforce in STEM

A recent note from Stroud’s MP Siobhan Baillie reminds me just how important the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects are to the future job prospects of our young people in Gloucestershire.

Siobhan suggested that our county’s fusion power bid - Severn Edge - should have a pledge to secure 50% female apprenticeships.

She said: “It is obviously extremely important to encourage and support more women into STEM, and I think this could be a really eye-catching aspect of our bid that other areas would not be able to match.”

Siobhan is absolutely right. We simply must see more girls studying all aspects of digital, engineering and technology.

And I am indebted to Matt Burgess, principal and chief executive of Gloucestershire College, for some interesting skills insights he has been gleaning on behalf of all the further education colleges and our universities.

“STEM careers”, he says, “are  not seen as attractive  by enough young people, especially females to meet the developing demand.”

“Young people are not leaving education with appropriate digital skills, and schools and colleges lack investment to provide relevant equipment or recruit the specialist staff required.”

Matt says that STEM and vocational studies are particularly important to the Gloucestershire economy.

And the figures prove it. About 7.5% of Gloucestershire employment – 22,778 people - are in STEM roles including science, research, engineering and technology professions.

We know from the results of the Gloucestershire 2050 vision project that the county is a net exporter of 18–24-year-olds.

So, more than ever, we must realise that STEM studies for our young people are vital to grow the Gloucestershire economy and retain our young, skilled people.

This is a huge challenge and one that I think fits Boris Johnson’s mantra of levelling up fairly and squarely.

For our county MPs, it must be near the top of their levelling up agenda for Gloucestershire.

And business too must play their part in levelling up with more investment in training and re-training.