Sarah Green column

Aug 14 2007 by Sarah Green for The Journal

The CBI is calling for urgent action to reverse a long decline in the study of science, technology, engineering and maths.

We have asked ministers to offer £1,000-a-year “golden carrots” to students to encourage more undergraduates to study these subjects at university.

Without such a radical step, the British economy will suffer, with top firms forced to hire engineers and technicians from India and other rival nations.

Too many potential scientists and engineers are abandoning science subjects at an early stage in their lives and missing out on rewarding, varied and lucrative career options.

Some employers already find it difficult to get the right talent, and the problem is set to get worse.

Bursaries towards the cost of degrees which are most useful to the economy could kick-start thousands of young people into reconsidering a future in science.

Since 1984 the number of people studying physics A-level has slumped by 57%, and of chemistry 28%. While there was a rise in applications to study these subjects at university this year, the long-term trend has seen the proportion graduating in physics and chemistry fall 25% between 1994 and 2006.

A pared-back science curriculum, a lack of specialist teachers, poor careers advice and patchy classroom lab facilities further undermine science in schools.

Various studies have been done of young people’s views of A-levels.

There is a strong perception that physics is harder than other disciplines. Other subjects such as sports science and forensic science studies have a “more glamorous image” than traditional sciences, but often do not offer as many job opportunities.

The BBC thriller Silent Witness, which follows a team of forensic pathologists, is thought to have had a spectacular impact on the number of students taking forensic science courses.

The CBI estimates that Britain will need 2.4 million newly-qualified staff with science, technology, maths or engineering skills by 2014.

The process industries in the North-East believe their industry alone will require 16,000 new graduates in the next eight years.

If the North-East is to meet its own ambitious targets as set in the Regional Economic Strategy we need young people with the right skills.

The CBI’s five-point plan to boost science take-up offers practical ways the government can do this. Let’s see if they deliver.

Sarah Green is director of the CBI North East.

We need young people with the right skills.