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Thursday 17th May 2012

The STEM sector needs to increase its internship programmes

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The STEM sector needs to increase its internship programmes

Posted by Guest Blogger 05 August 2011 Business |  Careers |  Guest blogger |  Miscellaneous |  Press releases |  Research The Science Council, in cooperation with the Careers Research and Advisory centre recently released its report into the availability of STEM work experience placements and internships. The data, collated from various sources, showed a mixed bag of some disappointing and also some positive results.

The number of graduate internship vacancies in STEM industries appeared to be much lower than in many other sectors, including finance and business. And many of these are in a business-oriented environment, rather than in a scientific or technical one. Perhaps this is part of the reason that STEM graduates appear to be less likely than other graduates to pursue internships

However, where our sector wins out is that, in contrast with many other sectors, the majority of internships in IT,engineering and construction are paid. This is encouraging, given that, while the internship pay debate rages on, the STEM sectors are at the forefront of the movement to open realistic roles for young graduates. 

Given the desperate need in our sector for graduates of all genders with higher levels of practical and technical skills, it’s disappointing that there are so few scientific or technical internships available for graduates.

While recruiters despair at the lack of an engineering and technology talent pipeline, employers are doing very little to bridge this gap. More businesses need to be opening their doors to graduates and teaching them the technical skills, rather than the business skills, they need to succeed in their chosen path.

This is not just the responsibility of big business, but of specialist recruiters, of SMEs and of the Government. In order to widen the current talent pool, there needs to be more available training and shadowing throughout students’ education and after graduation.

For more information and the full report click here
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