ROSE, The Relevance of Science Education, is an international comparative project meant to shed light on affective factors of importance to the learning of science and technology. Key international research institutions and individuals work jointly on the development of theoretical perspectives, research instruments, data collection and analysis.

The target population is students towards the end of secondary school (age 15). The research instrument is a questionnaire mostly consisting of closed questions with four-point Likert scales. The rationale behind the project, including the questionnaire development, theoretical background, procedures for data collection, etc. is described in a publication available in pdf or print format:

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.

This infographic provides an overview of  the position of STEM professions in the metal- and electro industry in Germany, with a specific focus on Baden-Württemberg. Besides general definitions, it covers employment, average salaries and labour market demand.

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.

The Deltaplan was the national STEM strategy of the Dutch government and direct response to the Lisbon goal of increasing the number of STEM graduates by 15% by 2010 (reference year: 2000) and targets related to increased R&D spending. The Deltaplan was formally launched in 2004 and included the formation of an independent national STEM platform (Platform Bèta Techniek). Its headline target was increasing the number of STEM graduates by 15% by 2007. 

The world is rapidly changing; technological progress is swiftly and permanently altering our everyday lives. Globalization and technology advancement bring about permanent changes in the economy that change the structure of the labour force, and create new jobs while at the same time threaten traditional lines of work.

The Netherlands has an open economy which thrives on international trade. As Europe’s 7th largest economy, 5th largest foreign investor and investee, 4th largest importer, 2nd largest exporter, and leading exporter of agricultural products, the Netherlands earns 33% of its income from the export of goods and services alone.

To keep up with this fast track to innovation, we are constantly reconsidering our science, technology and innovation policy and encouraging dynamic collaboration between the Dutch government, the education and the business sectors.

To meet changing job requirements, government and private sector have joined forces to accelerate change and invest in conversion of the workforce. Dynamic partnerships were formed, referred to as Centres of Expertise (Higher Education) and Centres for lnnovative Craftsmanship (Vocational Education). This publication provides an overview of the Dutch Centres of Expertise and Centres of Innovative Craftsmanship and their approach.