Investing in Tomorrow: Why Funding STEM Education Matters

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and complex global challenges, a robust and innovative STEM sector is not just desirable – it's essential. For grant makers, philanthropists, and companies, investing in STEM education represents a powerful opportunity to shape a brighter future for individuals, our economy, and society as a whole.

The most compelling reason to champion STEM education lies in its potential to unlock diverse talent and improve equity of opportunity. Research shows that young people from all backgrounds are equally interested in STEM, but it is an area where those from underserved communities remain particularly excluded. Socio-economic background, gender, and ethnicity all influence how likely young people are to choose STEM studies and thrive in STEM careers. This inequality doesn’t just impact on individual lives; the UK STEM sector has an average of 10 unfilled roles per business, estimated to cost our economy £1.5 billion each year, and our society is being deprived of the diverse voices and skilled future leaders we need to tackle urgent challenges like climate change.

Strategic investment in initiatives that promote inclusivity and accessibility from early years through to higher education, can help to ensure that young people from all backgrounds have the chance to build STEM skills, knowledge and confidence. At EDT, we are committed to improving access to STEM education - last year, 45% of our participants identified as female (compared to 29% of the STEM workforce), 50% were from ethnic minority communities (compared to 12% of the STEM workforce) and 40% were from low-income families.

Socially disadvantaged students lack knowledge on STEM education and careers

Furthermore, many young people lack clear understanding of the variety of STEM careers and the vocational and academic pathways into them. This is particularly true for students from lower income backgrounds – research from Engineering UK found that 27% of young people from low education and income backgrounds indicated they know which subjects or qualification they would need to take to become an engineer, compared with 62% of young people from high education and income backgrounds. A 2024 OECD working paper noted that “Participation in career development activities in England is patterned by social background…the most socially advantaged students are more likely to engage in most activities, and notably more so with regard to…activities that bring students into direct contact with people in work and which are predictive of better ultimate employment outcomes."

Projects that provide early, and regular, exposure to different STEM disciplines, connect students with industry professionals, and offer insights into the real-world applications of their learning are crucial. Increased career pathway knowledge empowers students to make informed choices about their future and fuels the pipeline of skilled individuals needed across a multitude of sectors.

STEM opportunities allow young people to interact with relatable industry professionals  

Access to relatable and inspiring role models plays a pivotal role in igniting and sustaining interest in STEM. Extra-curricular programmes, like those delivered by EDT and our network of Industrial Cadets accredited partners, facilitate interactions between young people and STEM professionals – through mentoring, hands-on activities, courses, STEM work experience, and company insight days. These programmes help to demystify STEM fields and showcase the human element behind scientific and technological breakthroughs. Seeing someone who looks like them or comes from a similar background succeeding in STEM can be profoundly impactful for a young person. As one Industrial Cadets Silver level participant said, “Something that has been helpful for me is also the diversity of who we saw through this experience, it made me happy to see people who are like me being in STEM!”

The STEM sector includes many growth industries, with opportunities for young people to move into creative, skilled jobs that also have the potential to help tackle important social issues. With salaries in STEM being, on average, higher than other sectors, supporting young people into STEM has potential as a tool to help drive social mobility – but this won’t happen without targeted support for young people who are currently underrepresented in the sector.

To talk to us about how we can work together to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders email philanthropy@etrust.org.uk