By John Gerritsen. New Zealand’s universities are urging high-school students and their parents to make sure they understand exam requirements following a 17% fall in the number passing the entrance exam in 2014 compared to the year before. Read more...
Feds should work to eliminate systematic barriers to women in STEM
By NDP MP Laurin Liu. Innovation is a critical driver of growth in the knowledge economy. At the heart of that innovation are the people, the companies, and the institutions that foster innovation, growth, and prosperity. The universities that produce world-class research serve as important anchors in communities across the country and train students to become the next generation of thinkers. More...
STEMing the skills shortage: How institutions can nurture science education
By Nicholas Waite. At first glance, arguing that we urgently need to pay more attention to STEM subjects seems alarmist. It’s a well-funded area, almost universally acknowledged to be essential to our social and economic development, and it’s more popular than ever. More...
Millions given to university to analyze women’s STEM success
The National Science Foundation (NSF) wants to identify obstacles that keep women from entering and remaining in STEM careers, and Indiana University’s Mary C. Murphy is working to reveal a previously hidden factor that may be preventing advancement in these fields. More...
'Studying science is one of the best ways to change lives'
By Mona Tabbara. Forget all the outdated ideas of what studying a STEM subject entails, Mona Tabbara talks to current students about the reality at university. Read more...
Australia’s STEM workforce: a survey of employers
The Office of the Chief Scientist is currently conducting research to understand how science, technology, engineering and mathematics are used by Australian businesses.
The research aims to understand what skills are required by Australian businesses and whether or not these skills are readily available in the marketplace.
You can complete the online survey here.“Many other countries have already determined whether they have the right level of STEM skills for business needs,” Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb said.
“One UK study found for example that British Industry will need 100,000 new graduates in STEM subjects every year until 2020 just to maintain current employment numbers,” he said.
“There is a real need for Australia to identify what skills our businesses need to be productive, innovative and competitive.”
Deloitte Access Economics (DAE) has been engaged to undertake the research and are currently running an online survey. They are also conducting focus groups and more in depth interviews with business representatives.
For a list of FAQs on the survey, click here.If you have further questions, please email STEMresearch@deloitte.com.au. More...
STEM Skills and Canada’s Economic Productivity
Canada has one of the most highly trained workforces in the world. The skills and abilities of Canadians have played a key part in ensuring that Canada has one of the highest standards of living. Maintaining and developing Canada’s strength in this regard is a central pillar for future prosperity. Rapid technological advances, complex social and health issues and dynamic global markets require that the Canadian workforce has the right balance of skills to take advantage of emerging opportunities, challenges, and innovations.
In an effort to obtain the latest evidence on the subject, Employment and Social Development Canada asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess Canada’s preparedness in meeting the future skill requirements for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Some Assembly Required: STEM Skills and Canada’s Economic Productivity covers a broad area of issues such as: the relationships among STEM skills and innovation, productivity, and growth; whether Canada has a shortage or surplus of STEM graduates; what future demand for STEM skills in Canada could be; considerations for developing a STEM-literate society; the role of post-secondary education, and immigration and the global market. More...
Some Assembly Required: STEM Skills and Canada’s Economic Productivity
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Some Assembly Required: STEM Skills and Canada’s Economic Productivity
The Expert Panel on STEM Skills for the Future, Council of Canadian Academies, 2015/05/01
The arguments around the make-up of Canada's education system continue (there's a surprising lack of consensus which is either a precursor to a national policy, or an argument against one). More...
University upgrades STEM tools
The new, $275 million, 500,000-square-foot research facility will soon be home to four microscopes from FEI: the Talos(TM) F200X transmission electron microscope (TEM), Helios NanoLab(TM) 660 DualBeam, Teneo(TM) scanning electron microscope (SEM), and CorrSight(TM) advanced light microscope for correlative light/electron microscopy. These systems will be used by professors and their students for research covering the full spectrum from materials through life sciences. More...
Thousands spent to get liberal arts grads into STEM
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $632,000 scholarship grant to Stevens Institute of Technology to help fund liberal arts graduates in the software engineering (SwE) master’s degree program. More...