25 April 2017

Closing STEM skills gap: Professionals Go Back 2 School scheme launched

During the STEM Discovery week 2017 the STEM Alliance launched the new scheme Professionals Go Back to School #PGB2S. This tool that aims to help representatives of schools and industry to get in touch with each other to organise joint activities and events where schools are introduced to the work of STEM professionals.

In September 2016 Ceemet’s President Diego Andreis kicked off his presidency by addressing the Roundtable on “Digital skills for the European labour force” organised by the European Commission.

Digital & STEM development

At this occasion, he presented Ceemet’s key recommendations related to the development of digital and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills to pupils, apprentices and workers.

In this context, he urged for :

  1. a deeper cooperation between companies and education providers
  2. the establishment of a Chief Digital Officer in schools to address the digital skills gap

Only through a regular exchange between companies and education providers, we can close the skills gap, increase the interest in STEM and adjust education paths to the needs of the labour markets which are going through digital transformation”, says Diego Andreis.

Collaboration between schools and industry makes teachers more aware of current role models in the field of STEM, as well as study paths and careers. Industry can also offer teachers options for placements in companies, in-service training and teaching resources,” explains Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet, a network of 31 European Ministries of Education.

More information on Ceemet’s position check the Chief Economists Report 2017 and the Digitalisation & World of Work report