Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Not Addressed
The Government should consider what support it could offer to initiatives such as Now Teach,...
Recommendation
The Government should consider what support it could offer to initiatives such as Now Teach, which draw upon experienced professionals to help meet STEM teacher recruitment challenges and to inspire a more diverse range of pupils to continue with STEM subjects. (Paragraph 113) STEM research institutions
Government response summary AI-generated
The response focuses on female representation in STEM subjects at A level, which does not address the recommendation about supporting initiatives such as Now Teach to help meet STEM teacher recruitment challenges.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
96. The Now Teach Career Changer Programme is currently a small-scale initiative, with annual recruitment targets of 200–250 participants. The programme has subject- specific targets to recruit into priority subjects with 60% of the 2022 cohort being in STEM subjects. The programme is focused on recruiting experienced professionals with industry expertise and specialist subject knowledge and therefore, by default, supports diversity and inclusion. For the 2022 cohort, 100% of participants were aged over 25, with an average age, on application, of 47. For the same cohort, 43% were male and 25% from a minority ethnic background. 97. At present, due to the small-scale nature of the programme and a focus on meeting recruitment targets, the Department for Education is not in a position to be more prescriptive with the target subjects. However, when considering the future of the initiative and any potential expansion of the programme, consideration will be given to how the programme can align with any ongoing work with regard to gaps in the market, such as shortages in STEM subjects. Evaluation of the programme, including the mark that this specific segment of the career changer market has left in schools and in the classroom is ongoing. We believe that the industry experience, subject specific knowledge and charisma that these individuals bring has the potential to inspire pupils to continue with STEM subjects.
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