As millions of students in the UK get their GCSE grades today, a new survey shows a third of teachers say they do not feel adequately informed about the opportunities available in STEM.
In a survey by Centrica, nine in ten students said they are influenced by teachers when it comes to deciding what they want to do after school. If that is the case, then there is a worrying lack of knowledge about career opportunities within broadcast.
The research also highlights a worrying gender gap around how STEM careers are perceived. Nearly a third of male teachers (29 per cent) said that STEM careers are more for boys than girls, compared to 16 per cent of female teachers. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of all teachers surveyed (23 per cent) do not feel confident or do not know if job opportunities exist for girls going into STEM careers.
In terms of the students themselves, more than a quarter of girls (27 per cent) said that STEM careers are not for them, compared to 14 per cent of boys. When asked, nearly half of all students surveyed could not think of any female role models in STEM.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of students said they believe it is difficult to get into a STEM career and requiries high academic achievement. The majority of teachers surveyed also believed this to be the case, despite a number of routes offered into a STEM career through apprenticeships.
