The Problem With STEM Skills…

Research from the Institute of Engineering and Technology has found that around nearly half of engineering businesses are finding it difficult to find the skills they need when recruiting. And across the STEM sector as a whole, there’s an estimated shortfall of around 173,000 workers.

The importance of staff retention is right up there with talent cultivation and acquisition when it comes to meeting demand. The loss of skills and expertise when an employee chooses to leave is not the only impact on business, there is the loss of productive output, possible impact on the morale of your team and time lag in finding a suitable replacement. According to research by Siemens, the UK engineering sector has the potential to generate an extra ￡27 billion per year. However this won’t be achievable if new vacancies aren’t filled or if resigning employees aren’t replaced at the same rate.

There are many reasons why employees choose to change jobs – career advancement, relocation or career challenges. However in STEM, employees aren’t just switching jobs, they are leaving the industry altogether.

Why are STEM Professionals Leaving the Industry?

Research has found that 28% of new parents leave full-time STEM work. 43% of women and 23% of men switch industries, transition to part-time work, or leave the workforce entirely. The surprisingly high attrition rate for men also highlights that parenthood in STEM is not just a mothers' issue, it's a worker issue and illustrates an opportunity to prevent the loss by incorporating clear flexible working policies to address work-life balance.

There are further reasons as to why professionals leave full-time STEM work. Researchers surveyed female STEM professionals to find out why. The key factors in their decisions were:

• Being unequally compensated in comparison with their male counterparts
• Not receiving deserved recognition or opportunities for advancement
• Feeling they were unable to effectively use their?STEM skills because they were doubted by their superiors or colleagues

By offering regular pay reviews you can not only ensure employees are fairly compensated but open up conversation regarding career aspirations and provide opportunity, whether or not salary is changed.

Developing skills and a collaborative culture are crucial in retaining top STEM talent. Training, mentorship and peer reviews all contribute towards a positive workplace culture. A positive workplace culture can be an asset, as opposed to a liability, for STEM businesses. When STEM businesses establish a motivating work environment, people want to stay and the businesses prosper. In this diverse and inclusive work environment, employees know what is expected of them, they have authority delegated to them and they are rewarded for performance.

Offering clear progression and promotion opportunities is key to engagement and reducing attrition. Providing well-defined requirements for roles can also reassure minority groups that the business is focused on offering equal opportunities.

It’s Just Not Sexy

A recent study by Acenet found most young people do not associate STEM subjects with something both practical and fun, often considering it too difficult or boring, and sometimes even ‘nerdy’. However, the lack of these crucial skills within the workforce, as well as a lack of students on courses in STEM at all levels, mean we need to do better at encouraging people to consider these subjects. We need to nurture an interest in STEM from a young age through better representation within the industry and supporting educators to encourage pupils from all backgrounds. With the exception of “halo” roles such as gaming developers and testers the majority of STEM roles are unappealing to younger generations. Overcoming the perception of STEM careers will critical if we are to close the gap in demand for STEM skills and see the sector continue to grow its share of UK GDP.

MD Comment

“STEM” is a very broad church of skills with representation in pretty much every of sector of our economy and as such its ability to attract the next generation in to its congregation is essential for the continued growth of our economy. The challenge here is perception, whether its not being sexy or not being fun and here’s thing perhaps at times we in the STEM sector are trying to push water up hill with the whole fun and sexy piece, maybe we should also focus on the social value and impact specific roles in STEM have on society. The way I see it, STEM skills, career, sectors and people are the enablers and catalysts that allow all the fun and sexy stuff in our world to happen.?