If you’re going into your final year of school or college, you might be starting to think about next steps and what you’d like to do when you’ve finished your current studies.
Lots of people approach this stage of their life with no idea what career they’d like to pursue and this is absolutely fine - you’ve still got plenty of time to decide! But when you’re doing your research, why not take a look at some STEM subjects to see if there’s anything that interests you?
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths, and having STEM skills is so important in all industries - whether it’s manufacturing, agriculture, construction, digital or healthcare.
If you’re on the fence about whether to look into STEM subjects or not, read on to find out about the benefits of having these skills.
Increased employability
STEM plays a critical role in today’s world and influences nearly every aspect of our lives. Almost every industry is connected to STEM in some way - whether directly or through other elements like their supply chains.
With this in mind, learning STEM skills will give you great job prospects because they are at the core of modern innovation. Having these skills opens up exciting and diverse career paths, unlocking your potential and making you much more employable than people who don’t.
Higher earning potential
We all know that money makes the world go round and studying a STEM subject can help you earn the big bucks!
Research has found that graduates in STEM subjects can earn nearly 20% more than their peers and the average salary for STEM graduates is £30,973, compared to £26,023 for university graduates as a whole.
And studying a STEM subject at further or higher education level will benefit you financially, too. Research shows that on average, those who study qualifications in higher education or further education earn more compared to those who don’t. At the age of 29, men who attend higher education tend to earn 25% more than those with five GCSEs (A* to C grades) but who did not go to university. And for women, attending higher education is associated with 50% higher earnings.
Learn transferable skills
Because STEM plays a role in so many industries, studying a STEM subject will give you skills that are transferable to lots of different job roles.
It’s quite rare that people stay in the same job role for their whole career. Many people aim to progress to higher roles which demand different skills to the role they first started in, and some people end up changing careers completely - so studying a STEM subject will give you the transferable skills you need to do this.
What’s more, due to the hands-on and collaborative way that most STEM courses are taught, you will also develop essential soft skills like commercial awareness, communication and enterprise. Such power skills are vital for navigating complex work environments, driving innovation and collaborating with teams.
Develop industry connections
Many education providers that offer STEM courses, including the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology, work with local employers to give students practical experience in real working environments, to ensure they are ready for the world of work.
Undertaking work placements and work experience as part of your course will help you forge valuable connections with local employers and increase your chances of securing employment at the end of your studies.
Make an impact
Ultimately, people working in STEM professions do incredibly important jobs. It’s up to STEM to solve some of the greatest problems that society faces - for example, developing green energy to solve climate change, curing diseases and developing new technologies that change the way we live and work.
If you really want to make a difference and positively impact the world in your career, then studying a STEM subject is a great place to start. You never know, you could end up being the driving force behind one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century!
At the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology, we work with nine education providers across the region to deliver world-class STEM education. Our partners include the University of Lincoln, University Campus North Lincolnshire, University Centre Grimsby, Boston College, Grantham College & University Centre, Lincoln College, Riseholme College, Lincoln UTC and Stamford College.
Visit each of their pages or contact mlochran@lincoln.ac.uk to be connected with your local Lincolnshire Institute of Technology partner.
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