The National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026 was agreed by all Australian education ministers in 2015 through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Education Council to support a long-term change agenda to build a stronger foundation in STEM among students. It focuses on foundation skills, developing mathematical, scientific and digital literacy, and promotes problem solving, critical analysis and creative thinking skills.
Concern for Australia's STEM future
Australia is concerned about the country's STEM activity and how this could affect the country's future. (Source: Australian Government Department of Education)
Among some of the observations about STEM in Australia include:
School students’ science and maths results are declining or stagnating.
Australia is slipping down the international ranking tables as other countries improve. In 2003, 4 countries or economies significantly outperformed Australia in PISA mathematics. In 2018, 23 did.
Australian students don’t understand the importance of STEM, or STEM career opportunities, until it’s too late.
Industry concerns about their future workforce include skill shortages and recruitment challenges that risk the future of work.
Environmental, social and economic change presents complex challenges that will need sustainable and connected solutions.
Importance of STEM
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These subjects pervade all areas of our lives. Without the advances in these subjects, we would not have the modern life we enjoy today. Without STEM, we would not have smartphones, there would be no Internet because there would not be satellites in space, and we would not have Netflix on our smart TVs either. And not to mention new advances in biomedicine, robotics, artificial intelligence.
Basically, STEM is everywhere.
Changes are happening around the world at increasing speeds. The entire workplace ecosystem has changed in just the last couple of years. Also, our problems have become increasingly complex, and STEM helps to provide the solutions to keep up to speed with developments and to overcome challenging problems.
Bear in mind also that future careers require a very different set of skills from even just the last decade. The new generation is going to need 21st Century Skills such as:
critical thinking
creativity
curiosity
cultural awareness
collaboration
communication
decision-making
entrepreneurship
flexibility
initiative
information literacy
leadership
media literacy
problem-solving
productivity
social skills
technology literacy
This is where STEM comes in. We need to prioritise our training and knowledge in STEM. A solid STEM education provides the foundation for these skills to grow. It is predicted that in the future, we will spend more than twice as much time on job tasks requiring STEM than today.
What this entails for Australia is, if we do not support our STEM education here and create a workforce that is strong in STEM, companies will be forced to locate in other countries that can meet their needs. We need to prepare our new generation for jobs of the future, in order to ensure a sustainable and thriving cycle of jobs and opportunities.
STEM in everyday life
STEM teaches important life skills such as budgeting and handling money. With a strong STEM foundation, you will be able to do your taxes, and understand your finances. It helps you to understand the concepts of saving, spending and the importance of financial planning. Look at how mathematics is integrated into your life when you are out shopping, when you have to budget your expenses for the month etc.
STEM is very often found in the kitchen as well. Just think about the time when you have to plan an elaborate dinner for many guests at home. You'll need to gauge how much of each ingredients you're going to need, when to cook what so that all the dishes are ready piping hot at the same time. If a situation occurs during the cooking process, you may have to do some damage control and problem-solve with another ingredient or dish. If you forgot to thaw the fish last night, what can you do to speed up the process this morning? You want a decoration made out of chocolate to stand upright on top of a cake - how do you keep it steady so it doesn't flop over even before the cake is served? If a machine bails on you at the last minute, what other device could you use to substitute? The kitchen is a delicious mix of science, technology, engineering and maths!
What can we do
By preparing our children and young people with a solid foundation in STEM, it gives them the freedom to move into any industry with their skill sets. They can have their unique, varied interests, and still be successful with the preparation STEM has given them. It gives them a lifetime of success.
STEM prepares the new generation to be the innovators and inventors of our future. Because of its relevance to the world we live in, STEM education takes well to giving learners hands-on experience and real-world application. It makes learning relevant, logical and immediate.
For adults who are considering a career transition, reskilling themselves in STEM ensures they have many doors open to them.
LJ Future skills provides a trusted STEM platform to connect learners and experts quickly. In this online STEM learning marketplace, you meet young students and their parents, adults or pensioners, and qualified experts who are genuinely passionate and skilled in STEM and eager to share their knowledge.
There is a variety of courses to choose from at LJ Future Skills ranging from Robotics Engineering to 3D CAD Modelling. Whether you are a young learner, professional or senior, there is a STEM course that suits what you need for your academic, career and life successes. Search for the most suitable tutor you need to help you enjoy your achievements.
If you are an expert passionate about STEM, take a tour of our website and see how easy it is to join our platform as a tutor and find genuine students who are eager to boost their STEM education with you.
Getting the right STEM foundation can set you up for success. LJ Future Skills is driven by our commitment to making STEM learning accessible and affordable to everyone. Let your success stem from here.
About LJ Future Skills
LJ Future Skills is inspired to bring you a trusted STEM platform connecting learners with the best STEM experts quickly. This is Australia's online STEM learning marketplace, connecting children and their parents, adults or pensioners with trusted tutors.
Tutors are available face to face or online.
Whatever your age, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS (STEM) and other subjects are key to your academic, career and life successes and a sense of achievement.
Be inspired to be the best, inspire others to be better.
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