Report says demand for 142,000 new STEM posts spells jobs for the girls

Jobs of the Future, a study commissioned by EDF Energy from the Social Market Foundation, recommended that it was now essential to recruit more women into STEM in order to fill the shortfall of talent.

Sarah Flannigan, chief information officer at EDF Energy said: “We rely on the talents of people with a variety of STEM skills and recognise the critical need to inspire more young women to enter these fields.

“That is why we’re aiming to increase our intake of female STEM apprentices to 30% by 2018 and we hope by using innovative technology that appeals to teens, we will reach more girls and inspire them to consider science and technology careers.”

A big opportunity for today’s girls and a challenge for the UK’s industrial strategy

Nida Broughton, chief economist, Social Market Foundation

The report highlights:

• 142,000 new jobs will be created in STEM-related subjects including engineering
• Jobs in these sectors will grow twice as fast as other areas of work
• A 40% shortfall in the number of engineering graduates and apprentices
• Women comprise fewer than one in four employers in the most in-demand industries

While demand for science skills will remain high in research and development as well as construction, it will extend too into areas such as legal, financial and even PR, says the report.

Computing will remain dominant where new jobs are concerned, added the report authors, with 25% of the total or 36,000 posts requiring these skills.

Nida Broughton, chief economist at the Social Market Foundation commented:

“That’s a big opportunity for today’s girls and a challenge for the UK’s industrial strategy.

"It’s essential that we invest in the skills and training so that the UK can meet this demand – and encouraging more women to consider science will be critical to our success.”

Full report: edfenergy.com/prettycurious/jobsofthefuture