STEMs are vital if we want to grow

LEFTFIELD:HOW DO we fuel sustainable growth in Ireland? If you want to see whether Ireland will recover economically over the next decade, rather than pore over tomes of statistics, you could look at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition which took place at the RDS in Dublin last week. Among this exhibition's entrants were the future founders, chief executives and job creators of many companies of the 2010s and 2020s, as well as the leading policy formers and influencers of the coming decades.

We need to broaden the potential and encourage the participants as well as the winners and, indeed, second-level students generally, to pursue programmes in Irish universities, institutes and colleges in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). We need to support them if they look to try and set up a company or if they look to test a new idea or product. We must accept that they at first fail before they ultimately succeed. By “we”, I mean all of us: parents, educators, businesspeople, decision makers, and the wider community.

For too long, we have placed a premium on the professions in Ireland and that has fed through to our education system. The points race for entry is simply a measure of supply and demand and the traditional professions – medicine, law, teaching, etc – remain the most in demand. The fact that higher points are required for entry does not necessarily have anything to do with the difficulty or nature of the higher education course.

“My daughter, the barrister” or “My son, the doctor” will sound much less impressive in the coming years compared to “My daughter, who created a company that employs 40 people” or “My son, who developed a new software application that is now used in 40 countries”.

We have many excellent students who are pursuing the traditional professional courses but they would be equally good or better in many of the scientific and technological courses on offer. Why did they choose the traditional professions, who or what steered them in that direction? We should encourage the entrepreneurial spirit and create business shapers. Evidence from other places suggests that sustainable growth comes from what makes the economy expand, and for the foreseeable future it will be the STEM areas.

It’s not just the Young Scientists. Take a look at your local second-level school and ask yourself which of these students could create the next multi-million euro company. Are we educating and encouraging students to think in this way? Even those with an interest in engineering and technology, are we preparing them to work for Google, Microsoft or Facebook or to set up the next Google, Microsoft or Facebook? Ireland’s placing in PISA rankings (the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment) in recent years has been a concern with our second-level students being placed mid-table or below average for reading and maths performance and just above average for scientific literacy.

This suggests a falling back in standards from 2006 to 2009 but there is also an underlying trend: other countries are improving their educational levels and PISA positions. This is a sobering thought when one considers that the jobs market, today and in the future, is international and mobile and that those with the appropriate mix of skills and capabilities will have the advantage. The role of the annual Young Scientist exhibition, and the contribution of those who take time to assist and mentor participants, should therefore be recognised and encouraged as a means of protecting and enhancing our economic and social future, particularly given the need for students with the highest levels of maths literacy as clearly expressed by many of the high-tech industries in Ireland.

Recent reports from Forfás on ICT skills needs and the potential for Ireland in the video and electronic games sector, for instance, suggest that the games industry globally is expected to grow to $82.4 billion by 2015. It seems Ireland has the potential to more than double its employment in core games activities to 4,500 people if actions are taken to position this country as one of the most progressive and digitally advanced business environments.

What we need is a mind-shift. We need to encourage our young scientists, young enquiring minds and young technologists and recognise their potential. They will lead and underpin Ireland’s recovery, and provide the foundation stone for sustained growth, the only way to recover our international reputation, economic independence and true international competitiveness.

John Hennessy is chairman of the Higher Education Authority