DEBATE: Are we over-focusing on STEM at the expense of creative skills?
Are we over-focusing on STEM at the expense of creative skills?
Caroline Julian, head of policy and public affairs at the Creative Industries Federation, says YES.
The future of our economy is creative. With robots taking on increasingly complex tasks thanks to technology like artificial intelligence, it will be those with creative skills who will be most resilient to automation.
But we’re not preparing the next generation for this future, because the government has failed to prioritise creative skills in education.
The heavy focus on STEM has been driven by the perceived strength of job prospects, whereas creative skills are often viewed as a non-essential “nice to have” when it comes to employment.
But our analysis reveals that creative jobs are set to increase at a faster rate (5.3 per cent) than STEM jobs (5.1 per cent) in the next six years, and at double the average rate of UK employment growth. Employers within the creative industries and beyond are also increasingly demanding a blend of creative and technical skills, because they recognise how vital both are to the future of our economy.
The importance of both creative and STEM skills cannot therefore be underestimated if we are to properly prepare the next generation for the future of work.
Read more: Finding the root of our STEM gender gap
Yasmin Ali, ambassador for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, says NO.
Jobs of the future are becoming increasingly tech-heavy.
Technology and innovation are central to driving society forward, and it’s vital that we are producing people with the appropriate analytical and mathematical skills to ensure that we’re well placed to deal with major issues facing the world, such as climate change and food supply.
Yet despite this, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering’s Create the Future report reveals that in just two years the perceived engineering skills gap in the UK has grown by seven per cent.
Now more than ever we must ensure that students are given the opportunity to properly engage in STEM subjects. Currently, they make decisions that narrow their educational choices far too early, meaning gifted technical thinkers often rule out STEM careers before they are aware of their opportunities.
Schools must work with industry and the government to ensure that students are shown the routes that studying STEM subjects can offer to them – otherwise we risk producing a generation which cannot practically meet our innovation needs.
Read more: National Numeracy Day is needed to help improve the UK’s maths skills