Robert Halfon MP
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Department of Education & MP for Harlow
Our world revolves around science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It is the past, the present and the future. Skills in those fields have never been more important.
We want more people in the UK to be building STEM skills. That means giving people from all backgrounds access to top-tier technical qualifications and training.
STEM education for school-age children
For school-age children, we are investing in school programmes like the Stimulating Physics Network to revitalise the way physics is taught in schools. Our network of 40 maths hubs is nurturing the next generation of scientists, tech leaders and engineers.
Looking further forward, our recently announced Advanced British Standard will be a game-changer, making sure all young people get the opportunity to study a mix of academic and technical subjects. To support this, we’re providing a downpayment of £600 million over the next two years to help recruit maths teachers.
A skills system revolution
The rollout of T Levels continues, including new courses in engineering and manufacturing, giving 16 to 18-year-olds a combination of on-the-job training and classroom teaching.
We’ve also backed our network of 21 new Institutes of Technology with £300 million, delivering higher-level STEM training and getting more women into STEM fields.
Apprenticeships are another brilliant way for more people to receive high-quality training and build the skills for a successful career in STEM — all without building up student debt. There are over 365 STEM apprenticeships designed with businesses across the country, which include digital, engineering, manufacturing and health and science.
We want more people in the UK
to be building STEM skills.
Support for STEM teachers
We are bringing in and training more teachers in STEM subjects. The Prime Minister has announced that eligible teachers (in the first five years of their careers working in disadvantaged schools and colleges) will receive an extra £6,000, annually, to get more science and maths teachers into schools ahead of the Advanced British Standard (ABS). This will double the existing ‘levelling up premium’ paid to schoolteachers and extend it to all further education colleges for the first time.
Securing skills for the future
The Advanced Mathematics Support Programme also offers support for teachers and students in state-funded schools and colleges. This initiative targets areas with low social mobility so that students of all backgrounds can get ahead in maths.
STEM skills are central to this Government’s agenda — not only to support people in their careers but to futureproof the nation’s skills and put British business at the forefront of the industries of tomorrow.
