Sarah Green column
May 1 2007 By Sarah Green, The Journal
The contribution that British scientists have made to the body of scientific knowledge and development is immense. And the UK's science base remains very strong.
In most disciplines it ranks second only to the US in terms of academic excellence. And the North-East, with investment in Newcastle Science City, has gambled on the future of science to create a step-change in the economic growth of our region.
We are now on the cusp of a third industrial revolution, this time driven by knowledge and communications and made possible by science.
Never before have opportunities for scientists been greater, in a world anxious to reconcile rapid economic growth with threats from climate change and disease.
Which is why it is so worrying to have seen the proportion of undergraduates taking degrees in `traditional' sciences such as physics and chemistry fall, in real terms, in the UK. To help tackle this decline, the CBI has identified three key areas for improvement: there should be greater investment in school science labs to bring them into the 21st Century.
We need more specialist teachers to inspire pupils about the subjects. And there needs to be more time devoted to science in the curriculum. All this, allied to better careers advice for young people, will help to open more doors for careers in science. To compete in the global economy and ensure skilled jobs are not lost overseas, the UK needs to double the number of new graduates with degrees in science, technology and engineering from the current 45,000 a year to nearly 100,000 by 2014.
The latest UCAS figures are encouraging. They show applications for science degrees going up - in some subjects surprisingly briskly.
This year the number applying to study maths, chemistry or physics degrees is growing nearly twice as fast as university applications overall. The reason for this reversal is unclear, as is whether it will endure.
What's certain is that there are growing numbers of jobs outside academia for talented science graduates. Some of the best are working at the cutting edge of the pharmaceutical industry, creating drugs that save many lives each year. Others are finding new sources of energy, developing cleaner means of transport or creating new forms of communication.
Many scientists also find their knowledge is in hot demand from financial services firms and other services companies where innovation is highly prized. If you've got the spark and talent, there are plenty of companies out there eager for you to be among their ranks and helping to turn ideas into reality.
Sarah Green is regional director of CBI North-East.
