Fifth Report - Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

Select Committee
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee HC 95 24 March 2023
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 26 items (17 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 26 of 26 classified)
Accepted 9
Acknowledged 11
Not Addressed 6
Clear

Recommendations

8 results
2 Acknowledged
Para 32
The benefits of raising levels of diversity and inclusion in STEM education, research settings and...
Recommendation
The benefits of raising levels of diversity and inclusion in STEM education, research settings and workplaces were highlighted by many contributors to our inquiry. The Government, UKRI, other research funders, industry and the education sector have led and participated in … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Government acknowledges the benefits of fostering an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment in STEM and highlights the UK Science and Technology Framework.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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5 Acknowledged
Para 44
The careers advice and support pupils receive from the earliest years must promote diverse and...
Recommendation
The careers advice and support pupils receive from the earliest years must promote diverse and inclusive role models. Just as it is desirable for children to see themselves in what they learn, they should also see themselves in who they … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states it is taking forward a programme of work to ensure that both primary and secondary aged children have multiple opportunities to meet inspiring role models from a range of backgrounds to raise their aspirations.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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8 Acknowledged
Para 72
Access, or lack of it, to the separate study of biology, chemistry and physics at...
Recommendation
Access, or lack of it, to the separate study of biology, chemistry and physics at GCSE—known as the ‘triple science’ option—is a decisive factor for many pupils in determining whether they study STEM subjects at university and enter the STEM … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government supports the increased uptake of pupils to triple science, but believes that teachers and head teachers are best placed to make subject specific decisions.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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12 Acknowledged
The Government should in its response to this Report set out how it intends to...
Recommendation
The Government should in its response to this Report set out how it intends to deliver on the Prime Minister’s stated ambition. (Paragraph 88) 52 Diversity and inclusion in STEM
Government Response Summary
The Government states its commitment to driving wider participation in STEM and describes a cross-Government action plan to achieve this.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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17 Acknowledged
Para 112
We welcome the Government’s nationwide roll-out of a scheme with the engineering sector, designed to...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s nationwide roll-out of a scheme with the engineering sector, designed to increase the number of Initial Teacher Training recruits with industry experience. The scheme should, subject to evaluation, be expanded to bring more STEM professionals into … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Department continues to monitor and evaluate the Engineers Teach Physics programme with a view to exploring opportunities to improve the ITT pipeline for STEM teachers more broadly.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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23 Acknowledged
Para 142
UKRI must use the publication of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, and the...
Recommendation
UKRI must use the publication of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, and the multi-year funding settlement from Spring Budget 2022, as a launchpad to promote diversity and inclusion across the research sector. The final version of UKRI’s EDI … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the recommendation and highlights UKRI’s EDI strategy with its four objectives and action plans, including exploring extending and expanding the reporting of peer review data across UKRI.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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24 Acknowledged
Para 143
Guidance to all Research Council staff should include a specific requirement to ensure representative Committees—for...
Recommendation
Guidance to all Research Council staff should include a specific requirement to ensure representative Committees—for example, greater diversity could be achieved by appointing on potential, rather than on past achievements.
Government Response Summary
The Government agrees more can be done to make committees in UKRI more representative and outlines the UKRI EDI strategy and examples from EDI action plans that support the aim of this recommendation.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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26 Acknowledged
In its response to this Report, the Government should detail how the newly-created Department for...
Recommendation
In its response to this Report, the Government should detail how the newly-created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology intends to drive greater levels of diversity and inclusion across the UK’s STEM sectors. (Paragraph 153) 54 Diversity and inclusion in … Read more
Government Response Summary
DSIT committed to working with the sector to implement the R&D People and Culture Strategy and to work across government to deliver the ambitions set out in the UK’s Science and Technology Framework to expand opportunities for participation in STEM and ensure a more diverse workforce by 2030, through programmes like STEM Ambassadors and British Science Week.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
Para 71
The picture between and within different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds is similarly complex, however, pupils from some backgrounds, such as Black Caribbean, are clearly underrepresented across STEM subjects at both GCSE and A-level. Others, such as pupils from Chinese backgrounds, are often well- represented.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the underrepresentation of some ethnic backgrounds in STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level, but highlights increased STEM participation in higher education among Asian, Black, Mixed, and Other ethnic groups.
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
Para 108
STEM teacher salaries must be as competitive as possible with the private sector, and we welcome the new STEM-focused bursaries and wider efforts by the Government to recruit and retain STEM teachers. However, we do not think the amounts currently on offer will prove anywhere near sufficient to address longstanding …
Government Response Summary
The Department recognises the challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers in some STEM subjects and highlights the bursaries and scholarships available to attract trainee teachers in high-priority subjects, and mentions that bursaries are reviewed annually.
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25 Conclusion Acknowledged
Para 152
STEM-related roles are an important part of the UK labour market, and just as is the case in other workplaces, the benefits of improved diversity and inclusion are clear, for employers and employees alike. The path to achieving this is not necessarily STEM-specific, but is rather likely to require a …
Government Response Summary
DSIT committed to working with the sector to implement the R&D People and Culture Strategy and to work across government to deliver the ambitions set out in the UK’s Science and Technology Framework to expand opportunities for participation in STEM and ensure a more diverse workforce by 2030, through programmes like STEM Ambassadors and British Science Week.
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