• Deadline for contributions: 21 March 2025
  • All contributions must follow our guidance
  • Publication is expected in May 2025

This POSTnote will draw on the latest research to describe the current UK Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills pipeline, including the development of essential skills, demand for STEM skills in the workplace, the diversity of the STEM workforce, and the career paths available for early career researchers, including in research and development in the private and public sectors.

In 2023, the UK Government released the Science and Technology Framework that included an aim to create a skills system to support “STEM sectors and drive economic growth”, and “retain high-quality FE and schoolteachers in STEM-related subjects”.

This POSTnote will identify technical skills, such as data analysis, programming, engineering design, and laboratory techniques that may be important in addressing the UK’s challenges, such as climate change, healthcare innovation, and digital transformation. It will also look at workforce issues that may affect delivery, which are reported to include movement of trained workers abroad, shortages of trained workers in particular fields, and movement of workers away from STEM jobs over time.

We welcome information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please follow our guidance for contributors.