Essentiality of diversity in STEM education

Nadeem Ahmad, Founder and Managing Director of Templeton and Partners, discusses his thoughts on the essentiality of diversity in STEM education

Diversity in STEM education is absolutely paramount to the future of STEM itself. Only 19% of UK tech professionals are female, IT professionals of ethnic minority backgrounds are much less likely to be promoted to management-level jobs, and every diverse group is underrepresented in the tech sector, which is also mirrored in STEM as a whole.

The saying ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ is true: girls and children from diverse backgrounds don’t see themselves in STEM due to a lack of visible role models, which continues the cycle of a lack of diversity in the industry.

The STEM sector, UK & globally

The STEM sector, particularly in the UK and globally, suffers from an increasingly urgent skills shortage. Templeton’s recent Hiring Diversity Report found that despite 68% of tech leaders trying and struggling to recruit diverse skills, one in four companies are not investing in any D&I initiatives. Of those who are, most do not see a return on investment. Although one in three (35%) companies are investing in recruiting more women, half that number is still significantly struggling to recruit female STEM professionals.

Part of the problem is a tiny pipeline: Templeton’s charity partner Tech She Can work to increase careers awareness amongst schoolchildren, as the vast majority of children and young people don’t view STEM as an ideal or even second-best career choice for them, despite having grown up with and through technology. For those diverse young people who go into STEM higher education, many graduates choose an unrelated industry or drop out of STEM jobs while still young due to overt discrimination and feeling like they don’t belong.

Our societies are increasingly diverse but, despite government targets and corporate investment, not increasingly inclusive. Sexist and racist bias has hit the headlines following the release of ChatGPT and Bard, but this bias exists in every part of the STEM sector. No matter how careful the specialists are in designing, manufacturing, engineering and testing new technology, when existing systems and data have been mainly based on white men, and when bias has occurred in related human decision-making, that bias will be carried through.

Teams of individuals with the same experience and background will have similar ways of thinking and working; in the case of prejudiced chatbot content, more diverse tech teams could have used personal knowledge and experience to anticipate specific scenarios to root out bias, whereas a group solely consisting of white men don’t have this broader life experience to draw on.

More diversity in STEM education

Gen Z are more ethnically and racially and diverse compared previous generations and are much more likely to be aware of and open about their LGBTQ+, disability and neurodiversity status. The youngest demographic to enter the workforce increasingly connects their day jobs to their identities, wanting organisational values and missions to match their own.

Growing up as digital natives able to access world issues and instant news from their pockets means young people are also fluent in climate change and sustainability: arguably the world’s most important challenge of the near and long-term future.

1 billion people will need to be upskilled or reskilled in the next decade to meet the demands of emerging technologies. Girls, young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and children and teenagers who identify as LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or having a disability present a huge potential talent pool with a wealth of future skills and knowledge – but only if they receive the right education and support at school.

Due to a lack of visible role models and career awareness in education, STEM is still seen as a typical career path for white males. Young people are increasingly engaging with science, engineering and technology in their daily lives through social media and smartphone apps, but their interest must be recognised and channelled well before choosing GCSE and A-level options; girls and diverse young people who are not actively encouraged into relevant school subjects soon see STEM careers closed off from them forever.

From the arts and healthcare to sports and gaming, children and teenagers need to see that STEM plays a role in every industry and way of life to imagine themselves with a future career path in STEM.

Diverse teams are vital in creating a future where STEM is fair, accessible and beneficial globally, and dedicated STEM education is needed to empower the STEM workforce of the future.