Simply put, STEM education refers to the study of four distinct disciplines: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (collectively shortened as STEM).
Rather than training students in just one of these areas, STEM incorporates all four in an interdisciplinary and applied approach to better prepare students for careers and real-world applications.
In this post, we’ll discuss the basics of stem education and how it can benefit students.
Stem Education: What Is Stem And Why Does It Matter?
Over the years STEM education has risen in popularity after its significance has been proven time and time again, and is still going up. In fact, as technologies continue to advance and new discoveries are made it’s expected that the STEM sector will be the largest employer in the world within the next few years.
As a combination of different fields that have all merged into one, STEM education provides many skills to the person who has chosen to study it. These include critical thinking, problem-solving, and attention to detail just to name a few.
This means that new opportunities are constantly opening up, uncovering a whole new world of career paths and job prospects for graduates.
What Is The Value Of Stem Education?
STEM education has received a lot more attention in the past few years than it ever has in the past. The reason for this? Because of its growing value in the world.
Choosing a STEM-related career path can push your understanding of the world to its limits so you get to live life on the cutting edge. From designing buildings to developing gaming to becoming a practising healthcare professional, here are a few more ways that highlight the value of stem education.
Job opportunities
For most people who have recently graduated from university, worry begins to set in about finding a job. For some, this process may be easier than for others but in today’s world, it’s especially easy for STEM graduates.
There are countless jobs that offer great experience and enriching pay, with many starting out at a good salary of between £12-17 an hour. And due to the rarity of finding good talent within this field, more and more companies are willing to pay an impressive wage for the right candidate.
In fact, the United States predicts the need for 3.5 million workers in STEM-related jobs over the next 5 years. So if you’re looking for job security after you graduate college then this may be the right path for you.
Economical
The value of stem education is ranked very highly across the globe. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics all play a huge part in the sustained growth and stability of our economy without many of us even realising it.
Many factors including job growth, employment rates, patenting, wages, and exports are all higher in STEM driven economies. This economical boost allows the increase of gross domestic product (GDP) which in turn circles all the way to providing better education for all.
Transferable skills
There are countless career paths to choose from within the STEM field from computing, to engineering and physical sciences, all the way to life sciences and mathematics. Whilst this may seem like a broad spectrum of jobs the truth is there are all interconnected thanks to their STEM core.
Both the high level of technical skill and the rigorous approach to problem-solving remains the same within all STEM fields, creating a universal language that enables teams from around the world to collaborate together on.
Not only does this mean that there is something for everyone, but no matter which STEM route you decide on, the knowledge and 21st-century skills you gain can be easily transferred and applied in various situations and life scenarios.
Balancing ratios
It was a well-known fact that the number of women in compassion to men within the STEM field was very low. As the world takes into consideration the value of STEM education, and people realise how well of a paycheck working in this sector can bring, this ratio has become more level.
For years women have been underrepresented in STEM, with only 15% of engineering and technology graduates between 2015 to 2018 being female. But the good news is that that since then this percentage, like many other within STEM, has been rapidly increasing.
With schools and teachers creating more engaging STEM programs for students, it reinforces the positive message of how following this career path can open new, exciting (and well-paid) doors that have a real and great impact on our world.
Future generations
When children are still in primary school, you may think it’s too early to even begin thinking about their careers. Even if that is partially true, there are some ways you can encourage children to develop STEM skills during their youth.
Providing regular opportunities for creative play, engaging their natural curiosity and letting them experiment (within safe boundaries of course) are all great ways to further their development. Even simple tasks like going outdoors, exploring the woods and creating dens can be a great approach to get kids interested in STEM learning.
And if they don’t end up going down a STEM pathway, they will have gained invaluable problem solving and analytical skills that will broaden their horizons in the future.
What Is A Stem School?
Because STEM comprises of four subjects that have long been around in our education system (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), some may think that a traditional learning approach is best.
Whilst this teaching method works, more modern education systems have been created which can truly help a STEM student to gain the best learning experience possible, such as STEM schools.
Instead of scouring chapters of a textbook and defining terms in the glossary, STEM-based schools offer a much more hands-on learning approach. Project-based learning and practical activities form the basics of STEM schools which keep students engaged and interested. This can help them to understand how their lessons apply to the real world, and allowing them to piece together the core conceptual framework of the STEM field.
Logan Bessant is a dedicated science educator and the founder of Science Resource Online, launched in 2020. With a background in science education and a passion for accessible learning, Logan has built a platform that offers free, high-quality educational resources to learners of all ages and backgrounds.
