Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Not Addressed
Improved data collection and the application of lessons from it are key to addressing under-representation.
Recommendation
Improved data collection and the application of lessons from it are key to addressing under-representation. We welcome the biannual Research and Innovation workforce survey being led by BEIS, and the Government’s recognition of the need to better capture the diversity challenge on the basis of characteristics other than gender— such as ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and socio-economic background. A survey can, however, only ever provide a snapshot, whilst concerted, targeted action would be better informed by a longitudinal study. The Government should set out how it plans to make the Research and Innovation workforce survey meaningfully useful across different departments, non-departmental bodies and the wider STEM sector. The forthcoming results must be accompanied by an action plan, and the survey should have the ability to undertake analysis by STEM occupation built in. (Paragraph 33) STEM education in schools
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response only mentions its ambition on STEM, without addressing the specific recommendation to set out how it plans to make the Research and Innovation workforce survey meaningfully useful or to include an action plan with the forthcoming results.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
130. The Government welcomes the Committee’s support for the R&I Workforce Survey. In March 2023, we published a report14 describing the findings from the 2022 wave of the survey. Anonymised survey data will be made available through the ONS Secure Research Service and the UK Data Archive, which will allow researchers to break down any findings by occupation including STEM occupations. 131. DSIT will repeat the R&I Workforce Survey every 2 years with the next wave’s data collection starting in early 2024. We aim to review the questionnaire with our partners before each wave, including questions on diversity and culture. The 2024 wave will include new questions relating to socio-economic background and sexuality to improve diversity data of those working in R&D and STEM for use by government and sector policymakers. 132. The time-series evidence collected by the survey will be key to informing government policy, and wider sector policy, on diversity in STEM, R&D and innovation–including identifying areas for action where we must go further to address underrepresentation in STEM and R&D. 14 UK R&I Workforce Survey Report 2022, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-and-innovation- ri-workforce-survey-report-2022
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