Dr Kellie Vincent, Executive Dean of the School of Business, Management and Commerce at Ravensbourne University in London, discusses the importance of collaboration in reinventing the future of STEM for future job opportunities
Across Europe, the shortfall of STEM-skilled workers is becoming an economic issue.
Europe has a deficit of two million professionals, and this, in the EU STEM Coalition’s words, is “only widening”. A European Parliament report in 2024 also found that 54% of EU businesses cite skills shortages as a problem. While the argument is typically framed around STEM, the reality is closer to STEAM: science, technology, engineering and maths underpinned by the arts.
The call to action has also shifted. Green technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and immersive media are creating jobs that didn’t exist before. Europe, therefore, needs graduates who can change tracks as industries reinvent themselves.
While universities help prepare students, education alone cannot keep pace with the speed of technological transformation. Employers cannot hire their way out of the shortage; policymakers must also ensure that resources and ideas reach classrooms in ways that make a visible difference.
Collaborative solutions beyond the classroom
Alignment is as important as numbers here. Employers want graduates who can combine their expertise with creative agility, not just technical knowledge.
The OECD’s 2025 skills-first labour market report shows industries are shifting away from formal credentials and towards flexible, multidisciplinary skills. Change is, therefore, needed. To adapt, universities must work with industry and policymakers, so graduates leave with the knowledge and nimbleness to prosper in fast-evolving economies.
The value of STEAM
Technical abilities alone aren’t enough. Employers demand hybrid skills; engineers who can collaborate across disciplines, coders who can design, and business graduates who work fluently with technology. The integration of ‘A’ into STEM is essential for Europe’s prosperity.
The arts fields develop flexibility and collaboration, enabling graduates to leverage science and technology to address actual problems. Organisations, for example, the Aalto Media Lab at the University of Finland are demonstrating how learners can gain the depth and range required to thrive in future sectors.
Education meets industry: Embedding employer insight
Collaboration between employers and universities isn’t new, but it must go beyond ad hoc placements or work experiences. Deeper co-design is needed: curricula driven by labour market intelligence, assessment shaped by employer guidance and students learning within professional ecosystems. Evidence shows that learners who receive this exposure are more likely to engage in further STEM opportunities, which could potentially go some way in combating skills shortages in these fields.
A study undertaken recently by Ravensbourne University London found that only 31% of students report receiving clear and helpful careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG), and 58% said that they don’t understand the route from education to industry.
Employer partnerships can solve this by showing young people concrete pathways into careers and how to succeed in them. By incorporating employer insights, students gain a realistic understanding of valued skills, progression routes, and networks – which are especially important for disadvantaged students looking to go into STEM, and indeed STEAM, fields. This can only happen, however, when students learn with industry, not adjacent to it.
Translating ambition into reality
A high-level European STEM Executive Panel was initiated in parallel with the European Commission’s release in March 2025 of its STEM Education Strategic Plan to provide policy recommendations on matters such as industry feedback loops, skills forecasting and curriculum modernisation.
These measures align with the Union of Skills and European Skills Agenda, which call for investment in adult education, vocational education and training (VET), lifelong learning and flexible qualifications that respond to industry needs.
Universities are natural conveners of education, industry and policy. They can translate ambition into curriculum innovation through live professional challenges, shortform courses, and apprenticeships, particularly in rapidly evolving fields such as green technologies and AI. Crucially, they support the development of graduates who recognise the need for continual skills renewal and adaptability in changing global environments.
Industry-led pathways
The rise of skill-based hiring in areas such as AI and sustainability reflects the transformation that has been underway in the labour market for several years now.
A UK-specific study of nearly 11 million online job postings from 2018 to mid-2024 found that demand for AI roles grew by 21%. At the same time, mentions of university degree requirements for these roles fell by 15%. Employers are increasingly prioritising demonstrable skills, with candidates proficient in AI often commanding higher wages than those holding traditional academic qualifications, even at the postgraduate level. This underscores the worth of modular, employer-led solutions and explains why universities must appreciate qualifications, including boot camps, apprenticeships and live briefs.
The automotive sector shows collaboration in action: Europe’s European Battery Academy aims to skill 800,000 workers in green and battery technologies by this year, modelling multi-sector workforce development.
These partnerships also diversify STEM pipelines by dispelling stereotypes and supporting greater female representation in electric vehicle careers.
A call for deeper collaboration
Inclusion needs to sit alongside industry alignment if Europe is to meet its skills needs. Through student experiences facilitated by partnerships or widening participation policies, collaborative approaches ensure that learners from non-traditional backgrounds gain professional networks and relevant skills.
Without closer collaboration among education, industry, and policymakers, Europe could continue to be affected by a chronic STEM skills imbalance. Closer alignment makes STEM education more robust and inclusive, creating ecosystems where learning and industry evolve together.
The future of STEM in Europe is a collective one, with policy guided by institutional practice and employer needs, education driven by industry intelligence and employers actively determining what graduates can do. Only through this synchronisation can Europe fill the two-million-strong deficit in STEM professionals and build a workforce capable of driving the green and digital transition. Fundamentally, it will be design and creativity – the ‘A’ in STEAM – that ensures this workforce can innovate and respond as challenges evolve.
