STEM North of Scotland

The aim of STEM North of Scotland is to increase the number of young people with qualifications in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.  This will ensure our future workforce is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet with demands for skilled people from across the Highlands and Islands in industry sectors which include energy. 

Why is STEM important?

• More than half of energy and engineering businesses in the Highlands and Islands believe they will face a skills shortage in the next year according to the North of Scotland Industries Group.

• A survey carried out by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that around 50% of employers are having difficulty recruiting staff with skills in STEM subjects (May 2010).

• “Scotland’s engineering industry is facing a severe skills crisis in 2013 which will hamper firms' ability to compete for contracts, the UK head of engineering heavyweight WSP has warned.” (Scotland on Sunday, 8 August 2010).

• “The real challenge for UK renewables firms lies not in producing energy, but in committing substantial resources to ensure the education, development and retention of key skills. (Angela Paterson, Engineering Recruitment Expert, 18 November 2010)

The STEM North of Scotland team at UHI has three main jobs:

• Build and coordinate a network of STEM Ambassadors and establishing links between businesses and schools

• Supporting schools and teachers by providing advice and resources and ensuring activities fit with the Curriculum for Excellence

• Developing new STEM projects and supporting initiatives such as STEM Clubs, Young Engineers and Science Clubs and science festivals across the Highlands and Islands.

Contact the UHI STEM team ([email protected]) to find out more about STEM in the Highlands and Islands.