EU

Education has long been acknowledged as the cornerstone of Europe’s success. With the challenges ahead, it will become even more important in determining the future of Europe’s prosperity and role in the world. Competency in mathematics, science and technology (MST) is becoming more and more fundamental as strategic enabler for a sustainable, innovative and competitive Europe. Yet shortages in these disciplines are already imminent, calling for measures to substantially curbing this downward trend in enrolment in technical studies and restore the health of the European Talent Pipeline.

Gender biases can be persistent. Too persistent. A simple exercise to illustrate the point: Picture a doctor or a professor. You will most likely think of a man. Now think of nurses and teachers and you are likely to imagine a woman. This unconscious gender bias is rooted in years of associating male and female attributes to specific roles in society. Inevitably, it also influences students’ career choices.

Gender differences in career aspirations are set early on. Children tend to mimic the social environment in which they grew up: boys are more drawn towards male-dominated fields while girls aspire to careers held by inspirational role models of their own gender. By the age of 15, boys and girls have already been regularly exposed to one of the most strongly gender-biased professions: teaching. On average across OECD countries, 83% of primary teachers are women; and this proportion shows no sign of shrinking anytime soon. 

Careers in science show the opposite trend. Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that even if boys and girls have similar scores in science, girls are less likely than boys to envision themselves in a science-related career when they are 30. This demonstrates that aspirations to pursue a career in science are not necessarily determined by students’ aptitude in these fields.

Data on fields of study released in Education at a Glance 2017 and analysed in a new Education Indicators in Focus confirm that the gender disparities observed in career aspirations in the PISA study are alive and well in tertiary education too. Three out of four students entering the field of education are women; but only one out of four entering the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is female. Moreover, the share of women entering a programme in engineering, manufacturing and construction is even smaller than the share of 15-year-old girls who aspire to work in science and engineering, showing the effect of social norms over just a few years, and their impact on all-important career decisions. 

Most girls become interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in school at the age of 11-1/2, but that interest starts to wane by the age of 15, according to newly released research by Microsoft.

Microsoft asked 11,500 girls and women between the ages of 11 and 30 in a dozen countries across Europe about their attitudes toward STEM.

Among the findings:

• Girls cited a lack of female role models in STEM as a key reason they didn’t follow a career in the sector.
• Young women are not getting enough practical, hands-on experience with STEM subjects.
• Just 42 percent said they would consider a STEM-related career in the future.
• 60 percent admitted they would feel more confident pursuing a career in STEM fields if they knew men and women were equally employed in those professions.

Industry matters – one in five jobs is in industry. New technologies bring rapid changes and are breaking down the barriers between supply chains, customers and business. Europe must continually innovate to remain competitive in a global market place. The EU must cultivate its talent base, just as it must defend its role as a global standard and rule setter. This publication provides an overview of the European Union’s wide-ranging activities that will boost industrial competitiveness for the benefit of all Europeans. The initiatives focus on building an economy that is circular, sustainable, inclusive – and ready for the future. Stakeholders are invited to use this publication as a point of reference to identify initiatives of use and interest to them, and to identify gaps that need to be addressed to shape the way ahead,

In 2013, Samsung launched a new global Corporate Citizenship strategy with a focus on Education, Employment, Health and the Environment. This brochure is full of stories drawn from Samsung’s most influential and inspiring educational projects, and contains quotes from educational partners, teachers and students across each of the 17 markets that hosted Samsung’s initiatives.

Samsung’s goal over the last three years has been simple: to use technology to transform the educational experience and empower young people to become the innovators of tomorrow. The results of these experiences, and the critical role Samsung has played in incorporating technology into education, are reflected in the observations of participating educators outlined in this brochure. 

The EU STEM Coalition has joined as a supporter the European Pact for Youth. The European Pact for Youth was initiated by CSR Europe – partner of the EU STEM Coalition – in close collaboration with the European Commission, and aims to support the creation of 10.000 qulaity business-education partnerships with the shared target to establish together at least 100.000 new good quality apprenticeships, traineeships or entry-level jobs.

Beatrice Boots, director of the Dutch national STEM platform will represent the EU STEM Coalition during the European Pact for Youth Leaders Meeting. 

Today Denmark, Estonia and The Netherlands sign the Declaration of Support for the EU STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Coalition in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. This is a first step towards a structural collaboration in the fields of STEM education in Europe. The main goal of the EU STEM Coalition is to raise awareness among governments, industry and education, at national and European level, about the crucial role of STEM education in our society.

The next generation of engineers and scientists is important to us all. If we think about the challenges ahead it is important to remember that we need them, now and in the future. To interest the current and new generations for STEM for Europe’s economic prosperity and a good competitive position many countries already work on national approaches. With more and more experiences in several countries and the need for more STEM graduates in Europe, now is the time to build further on the interesting and valuable experiences of the last decade.

Within the EU STEM Coalition Member States will share experiences and knowledge and elevate STEM education as a national and European priority by:

• Sharing good practices in the fields of STEM education;
• Promoting the triple helix approach (Government, Industry and Education);
• Activating, stimulating and supporting Member States to work on a national STEM agenda;
• Organising meetings on a structural basis to keep moving towards a sustainable approach;
• Enabling a resilient and future proof Europe.