Recent positive news about the UK economy has been incredibly
welcome. Britain is back growing and working. And the positive news
on our education system, announced in last month's school
leagues tables, proves that Britain is learning too. More schools
are meeting government targets and our country's talented and
dedicated teachers are creating a brighter future for many young
people. But we are failing the next generation until all young
people have the opportunity to secure a successful future for
themselves and our country. The business community can change all
this.
Last month after 35 years in industry I was delighted to become
Chair of the charity Teach First. And I've joined at an
exciting time, with the fortunes of six Teach First teachers being
the subject of the acclaimed BBC Three documentary Tough Young
Teachers.
As a business leader I have been convinced for many years that
THE most important strategic priority for the nation is the
education of its young people. I passionately believe that business
has a duty, a responsibility and a great opportunity to support our
schools and to help more young people to succeed.
Whilst the final episode of Tough Young Teachers aired, I was
joined by the Mayor of London and 100 of the country's top
business leaders to discuss how together we can rise to this
challenge and give every young person a chance to succeed for
themselves and for our economy.
Many businesses have already grasped this opportunity and have
seen the importance of developing the next generation of talented
employees. Organisations like Deloitte have taken up this
challenge, committing to improve social mobility and access to
professional jobs for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
They are raising aspirations, signposting access routes to
employment and are supporting and mentoring young people who would
never normally know how to access these careers. But more needs to
be done, a great deal more.
As a business community, surely one of our greatest priorities is
addressing the growing skills crisis we face in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Many of the jobs of the
future will be in rapidly developing industries, such as advanced
manufacturing, life sciences and green energy, for which mastery of
STEM subjects is key. It's estimated that, each year, the
economy needs around 104,000 graduate-level jobs in STEM-based
subjects. But, at present, we've a shortage of 40,000 young
people graduating in these subjects every year. This is a
fundamental strategic issue as our ability to compete
internationally is becoming relatively weaker at an alarming
rate.
This crisis will not be solved in laboratories or factories, it
will be solved in classrooms. If we can raise aspirations and
instil passion for these subjects in children, and give them the
confidence to succeed, we will increase the numbers pursuing STEM
studies at university and into the workplace. Only talented STEM
teachers can spark pupils' imaginations and guide them to
success. Only teachers can reverse a worrying trend that saw nearly
a quarter of all pupils in 2011-12 not even attempting a science
GCSE – a problem that's exacerbated in schools that serve
low-income communities, which suffer from a debilitating shortage
of STEM teachers.
We know that this crisis can be solved in classrooms provided as
businesses we step up to our responsibilities to enable the
solution. Tonight, I hope 100 of the country's top business
leaders will all pledge to support Teach First in our efforts to
accelerate the recruitment of STEM teachers.
Businesses can create opportunities for their staff to coach
pupils from disadvantaged communities, and can give these pupils
access to their businesses to excite them about the possibilities
of a STEM career. Companies such as Citi, Bloomberg, BP and
Accenture are already engaged in solutions to this crisis, and
should be congratulated for doing so. But there is an urgent need
for many more businesses to ask themselves what more they can
contribute. Every member of the business community can play a role
in championing the untapped pool of talent amongst our children.
There is no better way of ensuring that every business and the
country remains globally competitive far into the future.
Paul Drechsler, Chair, Teach
First
Paul graduated in Engineering from the University of Dublin,
Trinity College. He is the Senior Independent Director and Chairman
of the Remuneration Committee of Essentra Plc, Chairman of the
national Skills Funding Agency Advisory Board, member of the
Trinity College Dublin Business School Advisory Board, a board
member of the CBI and of Business in the Community, and Chairman of
BitC's Education Leadership Team.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.