ENGINEERING: EMPLOYMENT
14th September 2015
Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people employed in engineering from low income backgrounds; and if he will make a statement.
Joseph Johnson, Minister of State for Universities and Science: This Government is committed to ensuring the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) workforce is diverse, reflects wider society and makes use of all the talents available to it, including those from low income backgrounds.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funds and works with partners on a number of programmes which encourage a diverse range of people into STEM. BIS established a programme jointly run by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering aimed at understanding and addressing issues of diversity in the STEM workforce.
As part of this programme the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Steering group recently launched their Engineering Engagement Programme. The programme aims to increase the number of people from low income backgrounds, women and black and minority ethnic backgrounds in engineering by changing the way employers recruit engineers.
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