General Info
The STEMcat plan is an initiative that responds to the current situation of imbalance in labor demand in certain sectors related to science and technology, and promote that more young people, especially girls, are interested in studies in this field.
The STEMcat plan to boost scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical vocations is an initiative that responds to the need to address the current imbalance in certain areas of science and technology between the labor supply. and people trained and prepared to satisfy it.
This challenge raises the need to take action throughout the educational field but focusing mainly on two population groups:
- on the one hand, it is essential to achieve greater participation of women in the STEM professions and, especially, in the technological field;
- on the other hand, it is necessary to focus on groups at risk of exclusion and with a low socio-economic level, who choose the studies that lead to these professions with a lower proportion than the rest of the population.
It must be understood that the diversity of professionals from the perspective of gender, their social or cultural origin involves a factor of wealth and improvement of economic activity in any sector but also for those sectors in which employment demand is expected to grow, achieving this diversity becomes a requirement in order to achieve the goals of social justice and equity.
Applicability and Audience
Details
This challenge raises the need to take action throughout the educational field but focusing mainly on two population groups:
- on the one hand, it is essential to achieve greater participation of women in the STEM professions and, especially, in the technological field;
- on the other hand, it is necessary to focus on groups at risk of exclusion and with a low socio-economic level, who choose the studies that lead to these professions with a lower proportion than the rest of the population.
The Goverment of Catalonia has considered the following factors (1):
- The report "Encouraging scientific and technological studies for the labor market", commissioned by the European Parliament in 2015, analyzes the situation of the labor market in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). According to the forecasts of this report, by 2025, seven million skilled jobs in these disciplines will have to be filled in Europe. Despite this, the same report highlights the imbalance between these forecasts and the low proportion of students who choose studies in these fields, especially among girls.
- The study “Women active in the ICT sector” prepared by the European Commission in 2013 presents from a gender perspective the situation of the ICT labor market, a sector in which the low presence of women is especially serious. According to this study, out of every thousand women with university degrees in Europe, only 29 have a degree in the field of ICT, compared to 95 men per thousand. This reality is further aggravated when we look at the labor market. Only a small percentage of these graduates end up working in the sector and this percentage falls with age (while 20% of ICT graduates work in the sector at 30, only 9% do so at 45). All this means that women are under-represented in the ICT sector and, in addition, in low-skilled positions because, according to the same study, women trained in this field prefer to work in other fields.
- The situation covered by these reports is not far from what we find in Catalonia. If we look at the ICT sector, one of the most vital in the field of STEM, we find that it has an unemployment rate of 5.2%, while the average unemployment rate in Catalonia is 17.7%. This low level of unemployment has remained fairly stable, even during the worst years of the crisis. Despite this, the percentage of students who choose studies in these specialties has fallen by five percentage points in the last fifteen years (10.10% in the 2001-2002 academic year and 4.90% in the 2014-2015 academic year) and, of these, only 11% are women.
- The fact that, in Catalonia, the unemployment rate among young people under 25 is 35.3% (according to the Labor Force Survey of the 2nd quarter of 2016), almost double the average, makes that this situation is of particular relevance, as it indicates to us that young people are not preparing to work in those sectors that are creating more employment.
- On the other hand, the study "Influential factors in the choice of science, technology and mathematics studies" prepared in 2012 by the international consulting company Everis, in collaboration with the Department of Education, shows that the majority of students in 3rd and 4th ESO, and Baccalaureate have a positive view of studies and professions related to engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Instead, students find it difficult to choose academic options related to these subjects. The causes of this situation would be that these degrees are considered very difficult, that some subjects in these fields, such as physics or technology, are not attractive enough, or the perception of the ability to pursue these studies that have the same students. In addition, the study also points out the gender stereotypes of society (only 26% of girls opt for them compared to 40% of boys) and the family sociocultural situation (only 24% of students of sociocultural level low relative to 44% high level) as causes of this imbalance.
(1) Source: https://dogc.gencat.cat/ca/pdogc_canals_interns/pdogc_resultats_fitxa/?action=fitxa&mode=single&documentId=779226&language=ca_ES
The plan is structured in the following four axes:
- to promote the training of teachers in the scientific, technological and mathematical fields;
- enhance scientific, technological and mathematical skills among students in compulsory education and develop procedures for assessing them;
- encourage the participation of companies in the sector in the school;
- to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics in society, with special emphasis on activities aimed at the educational community.
Targets:
- increase the number of graduates in STEM studies;
- increase the proportion of women in STEM studies;
- improving scientific, technological and mathematical skills in compulsory education;
- improve personal, academic and professional guidance through coordination programs between companies and the education system;
- to transmit the social value of science, technology and mathematics;
Steps:
Agreement GOV / 19/2017, of 28 February, which creates the STEMcat interdepartmental working group, establishes that the functions of this working group are the elaboration and monitoring of a plan to promote the scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical vocations of students in Catalonia (STEMcat).
The composition of the working group is defined in the same agreement as follows:
● 2 representatives of the Secretariat of Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and Digital Society of the Department of the Presidency;
● 2 representatives of the Secretariat of Educational Policies of the Department of Education;
● 1 representative of the Secretariat of Universities and Research and 1 representative of the Secretariat of Business and Competitiveness of the Department of Business and Knowledge;
● 1 representative from each of the Catalan universities, appointed by the respective rector.
The drafting of the plan has been coordinated jointly by the Departments of Education and the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya, but the elaboration has been a joint work of the interdepartmental working group.
The work of the group was concentrated between April and May 2017 and was structured in four subgroups corresponding to each of the axes included in the government agreement as follows:
● Teacher training subgroup, coordinated by the General Sub-Directorate for Innovation, Training and Guidance of the Department of Education;
● STEM Competences Subgroup, coordinated by the Learning and Knowledge Technologies Area of the Department of Education;
● Business-school relationship subgroup, coordinated by the Secretariat of
Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and the Digital Society of the Presidency Department;
● STEM promotion subgroup, coordinated by the Secretariat of
Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and the Digital Society of the Department of the Presidency.
Each member of the group chose to participate in one or more subgroups based on the interests of the organization they represent. In addition, in order to enrich its composition, it was agreed at the first meeting of the working group that the participation in the subgroups of other agents with a specific link with each of the axes.
The work of the group was developed:
● Through four group meetings in which the different objectives, lines of action and specific actions of the plan have been discussed and assessed;
● Through five meetings of the subgroups in which the proposed objectives, lines of action and specific actions of the plan have been elaborated;
● Through a shared workspace in the cloud, to collect the general documentation and the subgroups, to elaborate and write the plan;
● Through the systematic collection of the initiatives identified in the impetus and promotion of science and technology, both in Catalonia and internationally.
Axis of the plan
Axis 1: Promote the training of teachers in STEM
Line of action 1: Initial and ongoing teacher training
Line of action 2: Support for innovation and research by teachers and school projects
Line of action 3: Promotion of educational guidance in the STEM field
Axis 2: Improving STEM skills
Line of action 1:: Enhancing and updating the curriculum of the STEM field at all levels of education
Line of action 2: Methodologies and resources
Line of action 3: Orientation of students including perspective STEM
Axis 3: Encourage the participation of companies in the school
Line of action 1: Collaboration between the company and the school in the promotion of science and technology
Line of Action 2: Mentoring and Sponsorship Programs
Line of action 3: Creation of educational resources from the collaboration between the company, the school and the university
Axis 4: Promoting STEM in society
Line of action 1: Dissemination of STEM in the media and social networks
Line of action 2: Arrangement and promotion of the existing offer
Line of action 3: Generation of spaces for citizen participation in science and technology
Specific actions: the priority marked on the plan
● Launch of the continuing education program for the improvement of the teaching of integrated science, technology and mathematics education in compulsory education;
● Promotion of STEM teaching in the initial training of teachers;
● Creation of territorial peer-to-peer learning networks;
● Launch of the educational innovation program for schools;
● Launch of the RT support, synthesis and interdisciplinary program with VET centers, research organizations and companies in the STEM field;
● Launch of specific training programs on tutorial action and educational guidance for the promotion of STEM vocations;
● Initiation of guidance actions aimed at future students in the infant and primary education degree to promote access from the scientific baccalaureate modality;
● Creation of the STEMcat Technical Office for the management of the plan
● Updating and enriching the curriculum of subjects and competencies in the STEM field;
● Creation and application of primary and secondary diagnostic tests relating to digital skills;
● Adapt the evaluation in accordance with the methodologies used, at all levels included in the PAUs;
● Promoting the generation and dissemination of new STEM learning materials and scenarios;
● Gradually redefine and transform the Institute's technology classrooms into Fablabs;
● Include in the guidance of students the specificity of the STEM field at all stages of education;
● Actions to reduce the gender imbalance in the STEM field;
● Encourage the use of digital resources to support the teaching, personalization and evaluation of education
● Creation of the Science and Technology Observatory in Catalonia;
● Creation of the STEMcat Alliance with administrations, universities and companies to promote vocations in science and technology among young people;
● Creation of a dialogue table with the media to improve the dissemination of science and technology;
● Creation of the Network of Mentors to encourage the participation of professionals in educational programs.
Representatives of the Goverment: educational authorities, digital departament authorities in consortium with the universities.
In the case of Catalonia:
● representatives of the Secretariat of Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and Digital Society of the Department of the Presidency;
● representatives of the Secretariat of Educational Policies of the Department of Education;
● representative of the Secretariat of Universities and Research and 1 representative of the Secretariat of Business and Competitiveness of the Department of Business and Knowledge;
● representative from each of the Catalan universities, appointed by the respective rector.
Plan governance model:
- The interdepartmental working group STEMcat
- STEM Observatory in Catalonia
- Technical office of the plan
The structure of the Plan, developed from the general objectives, axes, lines of action and actions, makes it advisable to design an evaluation plan that allows the systematic evaluation of specific measures and programs and, in an aggregated way, the lines and the axes.
To evaluate the general objectives, the outcomes for the evaluation and monitoring of the Plan are proposed, which will be taken into account both in the formative evaluations carried out to reorient the objectives and actions of the Plan, and in the
summative evaluations at the time they are determined.
On the other hand, for the actions and, consequently, for the lines of action and the axes of aggregate form, indicators of resources (inputs) and indicators of product (outputs) will be determined. In addition, performance indicators will be defined for the actions, which, together with the outputs, will allow the process of implementing the actions, their effectiveness and efficiency to be evaluated continuously.
It is proposed to commission the design and execution of the Evaluation Plan to an external specialized agency, which would be coordinated by the interdepartmental working group, with the support of the technical office.
Indicators and frequency of evaluation
● General plan result indicators (outcomes):
○ Pre-enrollment in STEM studies (global and by sex), both in university studies and in vocational training;
○ Percentage of women pre-enrolled in STEM studies;
○ Number of graduates in STEM studies (global, by sex and social class);
○ Rate of change in the overall results of the external assessment tests for the end of primary and compulsory secondary education of the STEM competences (scientific-technological and mathematical competences, and digital when applicable);
○ Improving the social perception of STEM studies and professions.
● Resource indicators (inputs), such as:
○ Budget available;
○ Necessary human resources;
○ Spaces and resources of knowledge;
C Etc.
● Execution and product indicators (outputs), such as:
○ Number and characteristics of the population served (students, teachers, schools, companies, etc.)
○ Number and characteristics of the agents involved.
○ Number of actions and hours implemented by type
○ Expenditure executed per share
○ Coverage of activities on target population.
○ And more specific ones for each action of the Plan.
As for the frequency of the evaluation, it is proposed that the indicators of results related to the general objectives be monitored annually so that the data can be used to monitor the Plan.